Africa Remote Safaris (Kenya)
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1999)
- Member Of:
- IATA, ETT, Eco Tourism Society Kenya & East African wildlife Club
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Lindsay Allison | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
DO NOT EVER USE THESE - THEY ARE FRAUDSTERS - YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR SAFARI HOLIDAY
They will happily take your money and then leave you with nothing!
Once they have your money you will not hear from them - they won’t respond to any calls, emails or messages.
They are known fraudsters in Kenya.
MQ
Email Igout Maryse | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
did not take us on safari and did not refund our money!
Through www.safaribookings.com , my daughter and I have booked a 5 days Safari (from December, 31st, 2016) that should include Serengeti, Tarangire and Ngorongoro (Tanzania) with Africa Remote Safaris: http://africaremotesafaris.com/ . For this we paid an advance of 1200$. We received mails from a so called Naphtally from Africa Remote Safaris confirming our booking.
On December 30th, 2016, we had arrived in Arusha and had still not received any instructions concerning the safari. With the help of the Manager of the hotel where we were staying, we managed to call the Arusha number mentioned on the website and got in touch with a driver who informed us that he had only worked for Africa Remote once. On December 30th, my daughter and I went to bed not knowing whether we would go on safari or not the following day.
In the morning (Dec 31st), we at last received a WhatsApp message from the so called Naphtally indicating that we would be picked up by a driver from another safari operator.
Since ARS had not wired any money to them. We had to pay the full cost of a budget Safari 1800$.
While we were on Safari, ARS wired 440$ to the other Safari operator. This amount was given back to us upon our return by this operator with whom we went on Safari.
Thus, Africa Remote Safari still owed us 760 $. We wrote to them numerous times and once a certain Steve Biko even apologized for the delay and promised that he would soon refund us the money. Almost 2 months later, we still have not heard from him despite our reminders.
It appears that though Africa Remote Safaris claims to have offices in Arusha and Zanzibar, they do not have offices in those places and are only represented in Kenya. The phone numbers mentioned on their sites are only the numbers of drivers who have worked for them occasionally. They also do not have a license to operate in Tanzania and are only represented in Kenya. So if you book with them for a safari in Tanzania all or part of your money may be lost!
We wanted to tell about our experiences with Africa Remote Safaris so that you should avoid a bad and stressful experience on your holiday. They are found directly on (http://africaremotesafaris.com) or through www.safaribookings.com
US
Email Pushpa | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
They Cancel our trip before 24 hrs our of departur to Kenya&Did not refund our Deposit of $11300.00
No star-No Star-No Star & if I have to give them a star then it is -10 or -100 star
We would like to rate Africa Remote Safaris very high, however we cannot do that because we never made it on the tour. Initially they were very helpful during our booking process, answering questions about the hotels and the particulars of the safari.
However this is where we must rate them Poor and we must advise no one else to book with them.
Several weeks prior to the trip, we had not heard back on our general email inquiries - this was not typical as they originally were very responsive. The day before our scheduled trip, we received an email from Africa Remote Safaris warning of increased Cholera cases in Kenya, and political unrest due to upcoming Kenyan elections. They advised us to cancel the tour, which We responded immediately acknowledging that we will cancel the tour based on their suggestion, and asked how we can proceed to get a refund of the $11,300 USD we had already spent on our deposits.
We heard no word from them for over 3 weeks. No responses to email. No one answered our calls.
Finally we received one email indicating they are sorry for the delay, and that employees are just now getting back to work and getting settled. However, we received no communication after that email.
Our tour was scheduled for July 31 - Aug 11. We cancelled the tour per their advice on July 29 (the day before we were to depart for Nairobi).
It is now September 1st, and we have still received no communication, other than that one email.
As much as we would like to give a high rating, we cannot.
Anything reading this "must not book with Africa Remote Safaris"
Not reply from them, sending 1 e-mail everyday
US
Email Rob | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Unethical business practices
The director, Naphtally, accepted our payments in advance. Upon the very morning of the start of our safari, the local tour guide showed up with Naphtally on the phone. He claimed the government was slow in allowing bank transfers into the country, etc. He asked that we pay for the park fees in advance with our credit card and that he would in turn reimburse us for the different at the end of the tour. In fact, he has not paid the tour guide, the local operator, or us. It is unfortunate because he gives tourists a bad feeling about all local companies which is unfair and unethical. Do NOT give this company any of your money or business.
Reply from Africa Remote Safaris (Kenya)
Posted on Jan 12, 2017Dear Robert,
We thank you for your review and honest comments.
We would like to sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused by you having to pay your park entry fees. Your Safari began on the 25th December 2016 and ended on the 01January 2017.
Although our communication had began on the 28th of October 2016, It wasn’t until the 30 th of November 2016 that we received the initial 20% deposit required to secure part of the booking.
For a Christmas and new year booking, this dates were very sensitive since most places tend to fill up and also because you were joining a group.
We went ahead made the bookings and hoped that the balance payment would be received in good time at least prior to your arrival.
On the 15th of December, you wrote to us informing us that you had made the balance payment through bank of America, see email below. In the email, you even went ahead to quote the payment date as 9th of December 2016.
Thu 12/15/2016 2:59 PM
Thank you Napthally, a Bank of America transfer was made last week to your account for the balance of xxxxx was paid on or after 10 December.
Regards,
Rob
On Thu, Dec 15, 2016 at 1:50 PM, africaremotesafaris <[email protected]> wrote:
However by 19th of December, no payment had been received – This was just 6 days to Christmas day when your safari was meant to begin.
You sent us as email requesting for the Bank details so that you could make the payment, despite having written us an email on the 15th of December informing us that you had made a payment on the 09th of December.
Paying by Bank transfer in USD on the 21 {Wednesday) of December for a safari that was departing on the 25th of December ( It takes at least 4 working days for Central bank to release the money of there are no delays) Counting from 22 and 23( Thur and Friday) Skipping 25th December which was Christmas day ( The day when your safari departs) The earliest your funds would have come through( If they came through) was 28th Dec on Day 4 of your 6nights Safari.
The lodges/camps also would not give us the same rates/waivers they had given the kids, it meant Africa Remote Safaris absorbing the cost for last minute payment.
On the 25th December we picked you up from your hotel and departed for the safari with only the deposit paid, we opted to gamble and pay for everything except for the park entry fees which we asked you to pay directly while we await your funds to come through.
We had even suggested to reverse your Bank order, but seeing that we had already committed 80% of funds towards paying for suppliers( without full payment), we saw no problem agreeing to knock off whatever costs from the tickets purchase.
On the 29th of December after many trips back and forth to the Bank, we finally got a confirmation of payment. We have requested you to kindly send us your tickets and receipts for us to process the refund.
Ours was to make sure that you had a good safari experience and to this you attested to having had a great time in the Serengeti,
Please refer to your message to our staff at the end of your safari on the 01January.
We are very sorry for any inconvenience caused by the one and a half weeks delay in settling your refund. ( Our Terms and conditions provides for between One week to 3weeks) This was only because we had to source for funds to finance your safari but also understand that maybe your Bank delayed in forwarding the payments.
All in all we do appreciate your feedback and have learnt a from this experience.
Below is our correspondence.
Please refer to your email below
From: Robert xxxxx
Sent: Monday, December 19, 2016 7:15 PM
To: africaremotesafaris
Cc: hollyxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Howe safari payment?
Hi Napthally:
Please resend the payment information for your bank, account info, swift code, and bank contact information. Holly Colvin is cc'd on this email and will issue the payment again.
Regards,
Rob Howe
Rphowexxxxxx
On Monday, December 19, 2016, africaremotesafaris <[email protected]> wrote:
> Dear Robert,
>
> Thank you very much for your email. As of Saturday 17th Dec ,the funds were yet to show but we are checking again today.
>
> I will revert back tonight.
-----Original Message-----
From: Roxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, December 20, 2016 10:03 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Money Transfer
Hi,
xxxxxxUSD is being transferred electronically to your account at Barclays Bank of Keny....
Contact me directly if you have any questions. I've chosen to have this message sent from my bank to confirm that the transfer is scheduled.
Regards,
Rxxxx
CA
Email David | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beware - Unilateral changes in Itinerary, last minute flight changes, hotels not reserved
We booked a 10 day safari to Kenya and Tanzania followed by 4 days in Zanzibar. We were a group of four. Upon arrival, we were picked up at the airport and transported to our hotel, only to find out there was no reservation for us and the hotel was full. This required us to move to another hotel (much inferior in quality). The next morning, a representative of Africa Remote met us and indicated that the payments we had made one month earlier were still being held by their credit card agency and we would have to pay for the night's hotel plus US $160 (cash) for that day's entrance into Nakuru Nat'l Park - but that they would refund the money to our credit card. This they did but because we are not American, we do not travel with a lot of U.S. cash. We were told the money we paid should soon be available and everything would be O.K. Not so. When traveling from the Masai Mara to Amboseli Nat'l Park, we passed through Nairobi and were told the same representative needed to see us again. This time, were told we were required to pay the entrance fees into Amboseli - another $160 cash. Our U.S. cash reserves were getting very low at this time. We were assured everything would be O.K. once we crossed into Tanzania. The next day when we met our Tanzanian, guide we asked if all fees were paid. His response was that we were to pay the entrance fees for the parks. It took him over an hour to clarify our situation with the Nairobi office, but still we had to pay the entrance fee to Tarangire Nat'l Park. All these fees were eventually refunded. This is when things really started to go wrong. On our drive from Tarangire to Ndutu Tented Camp, our guide received a text message from the office that advised him to stop early at a 1 star (at best) roadside hotel until he could complete some necessary banking the next day. In other words, our accommodation at Ndutu had not been reserved or paid for. We wasted half a day at this hotel with absolutely nothing to see or do. The next day, we set off again and had to wait over 2 hours while our guide completed the banking. This resulted in a very late drive over some questionable tracks after the sun had set. To say it was nerve racking is an understatement. On our way out of Ndutu, it was obvious that no accommodation had been booked for the night. We had paid in advance to stay at the Rhino Lodge but ended up in the Bouganvillea Lodge (very pleasant, but cheaper) after our guide had a heated exchange with his office. What a surprise in the morning when we found out we had to pay for the night at the hotel ($186). That day was our flight to Zanzibar, which, at the request of Africa Remote, we had paid $280 each in May of 2015 - we were told it was necessary to pay early because the flights sell out. We had asked for the flight itinerary and when we passed through Nairobi were told that we were flying Precision Air at 1:15 from Arusha's domestic airport. At 9:00 a.m. we finally got our flight itinerary. We were now flying Fast Jet at 12:30 from Kilimanjero airport - over 2 1/2 hours driving away. They had booked us at the last minute on a Low Cost carrier (the tickets cost them less than $124 each -in other words, they made a lot of money). Our driver drove at breakneck speed to get us to the airport. We made it to the check in counter with less than 2 minutes to spare. Then we found out our flight not only had a 6 hour layover in Dar es Salaam, but we were charged luggage fees for each flight segment (another $ 70). Upon arrival late in the evening in Zanzibar, there was no one to meet us as had been promised. We made our way by taxi to the hotel listed on our itinerary (Pongwe Beach Hotel) only to find, once again, that no reservation had been made. Fortunately, the manager was very accommodating, had room for us and said he would work everything out the next day. He got an e-mail in the morning telling him to expect our arrival and "customer to pay". In other words, they had not paid for this hotel either. The manager tried to contact Africa Remote by e-mail and phone but had no luck. We ended up paying for this hotel for the three nights we stayed ($600). Pongwe Beach Hotel is a gem! Pongwe Beach even arranged our transfer and stay at our next destination in Stone Town. Africa Remote ended up owing us a considerable amount of money. It took them almost a month to process a refund. We are lucky because we had the resources to weather this situation. It might not be so for other travelers. Even though the two guides we had were excellent (Simon in Kenya and Hamza in Tanzania) the front office ruined this experience. We wasted time in hotels, while they were banking and sitting in an airport departure lounge. They caused us far more stress than any other trip that I have taken - and I have traveled to over 90 countries. I would never recommend this company!
US
Email Seattle | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Scam bookings - denied plane boarding, unpaid park fees, missed pick-up & briefing etc.
Do not take the chance to have the same terrible and costly experience we had with Mr. Steve Biko, Africa Remote Safaris! As of today, 1/6/2016, we have not been reimbursed for our additional expenses, US $ 4,461, which we occurred due to Steve Biko's continued failings, and have not heard back from Mr. Biko.
Our safari was scheduled, Aug. 16 - Aug. 22, 2015. Day 1, we were not picked up as scheduled in Nairobi to continue to Masai Mara. The hotel arranged for transfer to Wilson Airport and from there we flew to Masai Mara. Upon arrival and being greeted by our driver, we were told our park fees, driver and car fees had not been paid. After waiting around and phoning with Mr. Biko, we were off to go about 1 hour after arriving. Day 3 our scheduled balloon ride did not happen. Day 4 we were supposed to continue to Serengeti, and were denied boarding the SafariLink plane due to Mr. Biko had failed to pay for the tickets. On day 5 after not being able to leave our hotel due to Mr. Biko not paying for our lodging, our family of four had no other option than to change our itinerary for the remaining day's. This cost us an additional $4,461 for accommodation and flights, not to mention the time we missed actually being out seeing animals, and instead dealt with the many failings of Steve Biko and a police report encouraged my the Manager of our hotel, who wants this type of scoundrels out of the Kenyan travel industry. Throughout our safari when running into unpaid services, Steve Biko continuously asked us to pay in order to be reimbursed later - we did not as our safari was paid in full well in advance.
With the experience and knowledge I have today, my advice to you would be to organize your own safari. It might seem overwhelming, but you can book your flights and hotels directly, and arrange for a car with knowledgeable drivers with the hotel you are staying at. Enjoy your travels, and stay away from Steve Biko and Africa Remote Safaris.
US
Email Reddy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This company is a big U.S. company operates as Neo Destinations which is terrible.
We have booked 11 day safari with this company. Our contact person was Steve Boko. When we reached Nirobi there is no Steve anymore it was Naftale from Neo Destinations. Our biggest mistake was we paid the money before. This company do not have their own vehicles and they sub contract with others who has no relation with us. The driver/guide was Robinson who is a jackass. In the entire 11 days he used to scold kids and always says he will throw out of his van. The trouble started when we reached Tanzania, we were taken to a tented camp at night instead of a lodge which was booked for us before and next day we are told that they will drop us at
Tanzania border and need to talk to our operator(Naftale) who was absconding. We were forced to go to police station for help to keep the driver in check at Lake Navisha. Over all a terrible experience with this guy. Kenya is a beautiful country but cheats like Naftale/Robinson(Neo Destinations/ African safaris) spoiling the country name.
Note:- if you book with this company do not pay all the money till Safari is completed.
Email Robert | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The game drive was superb, but the food and lodging was poor.
Some of the food on this trip was inedible -- namely the goat stew at one of the restaurants we stopped along the way. Otherwise the food was average, but hey, I was here for the safari! Speaking of which, the safari was great. Maasai Mara is beautiful, and our driver James was safe, smart, and friendly. We saw all the highlights, and came back each night happy. The tents were okay, but the water came out brown from our shower. The food at the accomodation was average, and tea was available all day, which we liked.
US
Email Mark M | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya and Tanzania Safari report
Steve was absolutely superb both in helping us frame and develop a custom tour as well as in constant follow up until we left.Inevitably things will change on the ground when trips are planned in advance and Steve was consistently on top of the changes and adviced us accordingly.As first time travelers to Kenya and Tanzania Steves advice and guidance was simply excellent.An example is when we changed the start of our Safari at the last min.from Serengeti to see the migration.We met Jackson from the Arusha,TZ office who was also superb.Totally responsive to our needs,she helped make a few adjustments while we were there.Once again an exceptional experience made possible by Africa Remote Safaris.
Email Nancy Cox | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent
It was a great experience, all tour were we well organised. Hotels books in the mara, were excellent. I would use them again.