FR
Awful Customer Experience
While the tour to the Masai Mara and the lodge where we stayed was very nice, my experience with Bonfire Adventures as a customer has been quite a disaster from the beginning till the end.
Here is why:
- First the company forced us to pay the entire amount of the safari upfront while no other safari company has ever asked for that and leaving us with absolutely no guarantee and no leverage
- Secondly our driver was unresponsive at the time of the meeting and ended up showing more than hour late without even apologising. This led us to be stuck in traffic for hours when our drive could have been much shorter if we had departed on time.
- Thirdly when we showed up for the first time at the gate of the Masai Mara park the network did not work and we could not pay by credit card. Our driver almost blamed us not to have cash for the entrance fees while the company had told us we would have to pay the entrance fees by card and we had to negotiate to be able to get in.
- Fourthly, we were charged for our lunch on our way back to Nairobi on the third day while the safari package indicates a Full Board for the three days (the itinerary even mention that you will only go back at 4pm to Nairobi - way after lunch time) and never mentions any extra cost for this last lunch.
- Lastly and the most annoying, my luggage was lost on the way back to Nairobi and the company did not provide with any type of compensation while the luggage was under their responsibility. The only excuse they could come up with was "this has never happened before" which of course does not help solving the issue at all.
Therefore I would strongly advise against using them for any type of safari of excursion.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Terrible experience, safaris not as agreed on at all.
We had a very bad experience with Wildebeest safaris and Noah. The safari was not as promised at all. First of all, we had agreed on 4 hour gamedrives on the both first and the third day. Both these days we only spent only 2 hours in the national park. Secondly, our guide, Anthony, did not interact with the clients at all and did not treat the animals with respect. He went off road very often, which is prohibited, and disturbed animals by getting extremely close. Third, our 'semi-luxoury camp' had no electricity and no running water most of the time and if there was, the water had a brown colour.
When we emailed Noah to express our disappointment after our safari, all he did was offer us to go with his company again on our next trip, which is something I would never do again. Noah said he mixed up the itinerarys of a private and a joined safari, however, the itinerary he sent us before was named joined safari and he had confirmed about lengths of the gamedrives after I had specifically asked him. When we insisted on a partial refund for missing out on half of the safari time on two days, Noah simply ignored this and stopped replying.
I won't recommend anyone to ever use this company for a safari.
Dishonest operator.
This operator booked 4 clients with us from 4 July. They confirmed the booking last minute with no time to get payment to us. We honoured the booking and accepted the clients on the promise from Collins and Paul of full-payment within 2 days, they have completely ignored every subsequent request for payment. Another operator in the Kafue National Park is also owed money for the same clients. We will never tough with operator again.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Avoid avoid avoid
This tour was equally upsetting and angering. Unfortunately I booked with another agent, and was pooled with other bookings, all from different agents. We should have been suspicious that ours was the only vehicle without any branding...it took 4 days to establish which tour company was actually running our trip.
From the outset, it was a shambles. We wasted the entire first morning waiting for various other bookings, essentially until the vehicle was full. I then also had my paid for itinerary changed immediately. To cap it off, the driver / guide was extremely rude, and offered no insight into either the schedule or the wildlife.
During my 5 day trip, the irritation continued. Our vehicle was clearly the slowest on the road, costing us hours of game driving every day. In addition, every time we reached camp, we were the last to leave, and last to eat. And even more, the game driving was not at all in line with the promised schedule. We spent a mere 3 hours in Ngorongoro crater...
Overall the entire trip was awful. It was hard to enjoy the wildlife beauty, as we were all so constantly harassed by the awful experience.
Please do not use this company, and help others to avoid such disappointment too.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They way they asked for the money spoiled all the positives
This review may put a new light to how this company wildebeest safari operates and i may be one of the unfortunate ones who have faced this immoral and shallow behaviour from the owner. As a background, i was in touch with Noah, the owner of wildebeest safari for a private 4 night 5 day safari package from nairobi including hotel booking etc. Good communication and the price was agreed and i paid 40% advance. His manager came to meet and greet us at the hotel and it was agreed that the balance payment will be made post completion of the trip. So no hesitation at this stage from Noah or anybody from wildebeest safari. Now on day 2 at flamingo camp in lake nakuru, i had a robbery in my room and usd 3500 worth of stuff gets stolen. Andrew was our guide and driver and was very supportive and a gem of a person. We did the police complaint etc and decided to continue the trip. Come last day and enroute masai to nairobi airport in middle of nowhere, andrew(driver) told me that i have to pay the balance before a certain town or he will drop us there and not take us to Nairobi. I was crossed like hell on this unprofessional approach and then when i talked to noah on this matter, he virtually harassed me to make the payment or the driver will take me to the police station and i will miss my flight etc. In short further misery to my already spoiled holiday. Now all this happened in a span of 2 hours on a lonely strech between masai and the nearest town. I was traveling with my wife and 7 year old son and got scared and out of fear paid the remaining balance. Now paying the money is not a problem but the way i was forced to pay the money was unreal, unprofessional and very shallow. Not sure if this is the was tourists are treated in kenya but that was my experience.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They did not deliver what was promised
We were not given the trip that was guaranteed. we did not get to the hot springs played for a full trip and were back to our home within five hours. They deliver terrible service.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kilisa Tours and Safaris should be avoided!
I had a horrible experience with Kilisa Tours and Safaris. Originally I had booked with them because they had received such positive reviews from Trip Advisor. They also offered cheap prices and I decided to go on a safari with them, but I am glad that I didn't book with them to do Kilimanjaro otherwise they would have definitely botched it up.
Twelve days before my trip, they informed me via email that my hotel was changed from Moshi to Arusha and that the tour group decided to start a day earlier. I had been doing Mt. Meru and Kilimanjaro so I had no email access, and went to the hotel that they booked me in Moshi. I was told that I was booked for Moshi by Kilisa tours, but there was not room for me and I had to go to another hotel.
After Naick was told, he tried to tell me I should have gotten the email and I explained that I had no Internet access since I came to Africa. I was tired after my 8 day Kilimanjaro trip, and he claimed that the Lemosho route that I had done should have finished at 5AM. That isn't true as I didn't finish until 2PM that day with another group as we went back to the gate, and then had lunch before I was dropped off to my hotel.
So instead of staying at the Key's Hotel, in Moshi (which I was originally told) and had a high standard, I was booked to stay in Arusha Centre Inn in Arusha which is a much lower caliber hotel. However, I was not told this, and the price that I paid for the safari did not change.
I was also asked if I brought $875 in cash to pay for the trip. I had not been informed via email to do this, and asked if I could pay by credit card. Instead, I was told that to avoid a surcharge, I would pay for the park admission which would total $875. I was not told that I would be paying for the park admission of the other people on the tour and my tour guide.
I was not told that the safari was going to be with other people and it was thru another company that wasn't associated with Kilisa. I thought all of these other tourists were from Kilisa tours. I was driven to Lake Manyara to catch the tour group on their second day of the safari since I had missed the first day.
They were staying at the Sunbright campsite which offered a cabin. I was given a cabin initially, but when two people in my group complained that they had a cabin before, but were then designated to stay in a tent, the manager asked me to move to the tent and to give the two people the cabin. I was sick and had a cough (after finishing my Kilimanjaro trip) and despite that these two people paid less than me, I had to move.
For the next 2 days I ended up sharing a tent with 2 other people on the trip that I didn't know.
When I went to pay at one of the park gates, I was told to pay $10 more than Kilisa had informed me. Although that shouldn't be a big deal, I did not like how the driver had forced me to just pay, and not question it. I was angry and said that at the next park gate, I would pay $10 less so that I would not be overcharged. The driver did not like that and insisted that I pay what I was told to pay.
On the last day, at 9:40AM at Ngorongoro Crater, our safari car had broken down. Our driver called his friend to pick us up and take us back for brunch at 11AM. The friend just drove us back to our campsite and we didn't do anymore sight-seeing. Then when the driver got back with the safari car repaired, we had to be driven back to Arusha and end the trip.
I asked for a refund as I paid for 4 days for the safari, and on the last day, since the safari car broke down, we could not explore Ngrongoro Crater much at all. I brought this up to Naick who tried to claim that the second safari car had taken us around Ngorongoro but I insisted that it only drove us back to the camp site. Then Naick said that the blame was actually for this man from another company who actually run the trip, and that man refused to refund me saying no one had ever complained about the trip.
At the end of the day, I wish that I hadn't booked with Kilisa as there were these screw ups with the hotel and also having a cheap safari car that broke down. Also, since the safari car was overloaded with 5-6 passengers (sometimes with the cook too) and luggage, I did not get to see the animals properly nor take as good pictures as I expected to.
Stay away from this company!
US
Rude owner & cheaters
My friends and I booked this company after a recommendation from a friend, but they turned out to be cheaters in terms of providing accommodation in our tour. Here's what happened: My friend and I paid for "luxury" option in Tanzania, but the hotels we stayed at were wither budget or mid-range, as told to us by the owner. We were never given an option of mid-range or luxury before booking, but just a 'luxury' option.
Moreover, my friend has opted in for luxury option in Kenya, while I was on budget option. On our day 1, I was given a soggy and inedible sandwich as a packed-lunch, and was asked by the driver to have my lunch at the luxury lodge, while we wait for them (driver & my friend) to have lunch at the luxury lodge. Seemed like the lodge charges $4 as surcharge for non-residents to have meal there. The driver did not pay this extra surcharge and I had to sit in the van outside the lodge for lunch, while the driver had the luxury lunch at the lodge.
After letting the owner know, he was extremely rude to us and didn't even consider an apology! Avoid these scammers.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Paid in advance, nowbody showed up in Arusha...until now no refund!
Mathew Adams is a lier and a thief!
He still owes us 630 USD!!!
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Never again with Blue Montain
They contacted me at hotel and came for a presentation meeting. After we agreed on the price, destination and paid. We had an appointment at 6:30 the next morning. They came 20 minutes late arguing that traffic jam was cause of the delay. After that we had to go to their office again, with no valid reason, before finding out that the car to be used for the day was used, old and not sized for a safari, even for being used in town could be source of issue. The way to Nakuru Park took 3 hours whereas 2 were announced. Fortunately our driver was good and made that day not so bad, despite we felt he was sometimes lost in the park, specially when we were trying to reach the exit gate. I would not recommend...;