MAMU TRAVELS TEAM
Mamu Travels and Safaris Kenya
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
FI
Email Johanna Boateng | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We felt scammed
I booked the 3 day safari tour for the 5th of August 2024 for 3 people including me. Mariam requested i send her the first half of the payment which she received successfully. A few weeks before the safari I emailed her asking when the next payment was to be made and she replied a week before the trip. I sent her the money and it was deducted from my account successfully. Two days before the safari Mariam informs me she has not received the payment. I shoe her screenshots of payment and questioned why she did not ask me earlier about the payment and decided to inform me two days before the trip. She said if she does not receive the second payment the trip will be cancelled and no refund will be made for the first half. My friends and I obviously panic because we travelled to Kenya mainly for the safari and we did not want to miss it. I asked her to meet me the next day so I could pay her in cash because making a bank transaction would take days to reflect on her account. At this point we were taking a big risk giving her money again but we also thought the fault could have been with my bank but it would take me days to figure the situation with my bank all the way from Kenya.
Mariam assured if the money reflects in her account she would transfer it back to me. The sum of it was nearly 1400 USD. We were able to leave for the safari and had a lovely trip. Our tour guide mentioned he does not work for Mamu Travels and the other people in our group had also booked with different companies.
After the trip I contacted Mamu Travels regarding the money and she claimed to not have received it. I told her my bank confirmed the money is in her account since it had been weeks. Mariam was very frustrated and accused me of being a liar. She was VERY unprofessional during phone calls and raised her voice MULTIPLE times at me. Mariam ended up blocking me and till this day we have not received our money.
Reply from Mamu Travels and Safaris Kenya
Posted on Sep 21, 2024Johanna, you booked with us your safari because you trusted our company Mamu Travels. You made a 50% deposit to secure your booking and then claimed that you had paid the balance later on. We did not receive the second payment and asked you to clear your balance or we would not be able to book your safari. You had the option to cancel your trip with us ask for a refund of the first deposit or pay the second deposit so that you could go on safari with us. You have been trying to defraud our company from the time you booked your safari with us. If truly you had made the payment twice, your bank should have been able to provide the proof of payment, and the payment should have reflected on our bank statement. We will not allow you to defraud us and steal from us. Try that with another agent, not us.
Email Ura | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Worst experience
I was overcharged, with an extra $600 that shouldn’t have been included. I booked a private tour but was almost put into a group tour instead. I signed up for three days of game drives, but only two were scheduled. After already paying for the transfer from Masai Mara to Nairobi, I was charged extra upon drop-off. The driver for the transfer from the hotel to the airport didn’t show up on time and there was no communication. None of the pre-booked arrangements were acknowledged until I provided evidence and pointed out the issues myself.
The only person who handled things professionally was Daniel, who guided us in Masai Mara. He was punctual, dedicated, and provided us with a truly memorable experience in the national park.
US
Email Setareh | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware: worst tour operator
Beware of Mamu Travels - they are truly the worst tour operator I have ever encountered in my decades of traveling! Mariam, the owner of the company, was very responsive in the beginning, sending through a full quote quickly after my initial outreach. She seemed very thorough in her communications and continued to be responsive after I pre-paid for our safari in full (nearly $3000 for two people). Then, the week of our safari, she went completely dark. She didn't send through a final itinerary so we had no idea who was picking us up, when they were picking us up, their name or contact information - NOTHING! We emailed and messaged her before our pick up date and she was completely unresponsive. We got ready for our pick up the morning of our first day and no driver came. The main phone number for the company listed on the website, which was Mariam's number, was completely offline - no one would pick up or see our messages on WhatsApp. The only way we were able to get in touch with someone at Mamu was through the Safari lodge reservation desk, which happened to have another phone number for the company. That new person, Patronilla, picked up but had no records of our safari or our itinerary because she did not have access to Mariam's files. She said she herself could not get in touch with Mariam. After much struggle, she was able to convince the transfer driver to come back and get us (he said he apparently came at 6:00am and waited 30 minutes for us but the hotel front desk said that was a lie). When he picked us up, he couldn't tell us much about where we were going, just that we were going to meet the safari driver. When we got to the original meeting up point, a run down gas station in a very run down part of Nairobi, the safari driver had already left! So now we had to chase the driver around the outskirts of Nairobi, culminating in us speeding down a cliffside road to finally catch up to him on the side of the road. When we finally got to him, he broke the news to us that Mariam had not sent him the nature reserve entrance fees ($800 for two days for two people, which we prepaid) so we would have to pay him cash and get reimbursed by Mamu. For her part, Patronilla sent us a note that the company would honor the refund, but unfortunately, no one from the company had access to the bank accounts except for Mariam, who was still missing, so the refund could only happen when she came back online. Well, we completed our 3 day safari, which was great, especially the lodge Emayian as well as our safari driver, Charles, but Mariam was still missing the entire time. We checked in again a couple of days after, but her team said she was still missing, so we just ended up doing a chargeback through our credit card company. Needless to say, this was the most AWFUL travel experience of my life and I caution everyone before working with this incredibly unprofessional company that will put you in stressful, dangerous situations!