Bonfire Adventures
- Located In:
- Size:
- 100-250 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Olivia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonest and Disorganised
We booked with Bonfire Adventures for a 3 day trip to Mara Maasai and after our experience would not recommend Bonfire Adventures for the following reasons.
1. Disorganised.
Bonfire were highly disorganised. I felt as if I was doing most of the organisation and I was trying to organise their agent to book things for us. I had to repeatedly follow up with them about if they had made the booking and what time we would be collected to start the Safari. They only confirmed who was collecting us at 7pm the night before we were due to leave at 7am the next morning. They asked us to let the driver know where to collect us from even though we had already provided them with that information more than a week in advance.
2. Dishonesty
We asked them for a quote as to the cost, which they provided to us. It wasn't until after we paid that they informed us that they had quoted us the residents rate rather then non-residents rate and would have to pay more money. I have a very English first and surname so I have no idea why they would assume that I was a resident. They then said that I should have known that it was the residents rate as they had charged us in the local currency rather then US dollars. I asked them to return my money to me as I did not want to pay extra as this would make the safari significantly more expensive. It was only at this point they said that they could actually offer it to us at the residents rate.
Perhaps more disappointing was that they were dishonest with money. I sent them the money for the Safari and paid the bank fees. According to my calculations I unintentionally underpaid them 700 KES (Approx. 7 USD) due to the different the conversion rates. However Bonfire said that I had underpaid them by 5,600 KES (Approx. 53 USD). When I questioned this they said the difference must be due to bank fees. I went back and checked that and in fact I had already paid these fees. I asked for further proof of exactly how much they received in the transfer but they only provided an internal spreadsheet, but nothing from their bank. I have asked them to provide me with a way to pay the remaining 700 KES and am waiting to hear back from them.
3. Driver
The driver was also disappointing as at the end of our Safari we were dropped off at Lake Naivasha. He put pressure on us to pay him to drive us back to Nairobi after we were finished at the lake in a few days time. He asked us to pay him $120,000 KES and told us that we wouldn't get anyone to drive us back to Nairobi for less then $100,000 KES. We phoned a great driver we had previously used in Nairobi who immediately suggested a much more reasonable price of 70,000 KES and didn't pressure us at all to go with him.
They also ask to do a client feedback form which you then return to the staff who you are assessing so its difficult to give honest and open feedback in these circumstances.
US
Email Jill | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great 3 Day Safari with Bonfire Adventures at the Mara Sopa Lodge!
This review is specifically about Bonfire Adventures & the Mara Sopa lodge. My friend and I booked a private, custom 3 night/4 day safari with Bonfire. The regular package is 2 nights, 3 days, but since we were traveling from far away we wanted an extra day. Bonfire is a Kenyan based (and owned company) that plans safaris & other excursions. They offer many lodging options, from budget to luxury, so there's something for everyone.
We live in the United States. Bonfire was very responsive over email and priced out the package. I was in Kenya for work, so I went to a Bonfire office to pay via credit card in person, which cost an extra 3%. Right now, the only other option is to do a direct bank transfer to their account (which I did not want to do from the United States). Hopefully, Bonfire will have an online credit card pay link soon. But, everything worked out fine.
Our guide, Duncan, was wonderful. He picked us up in Nairobi and drove us the 5+ hours to the Mara. We did 2 bathroom stops (on the way out and in). Bring snacks and extra water for the journey! It's a little bumpy at the end, but it's so great to see what Kenya really looks like.
Duncan was professional and polite and very knowledgable about the animals and plants of the Mara. We saw so much wildlife! He was very patient with all of our requests to take photos. He had a great eye for the photos himself and even helped us set up some sunset and animal shots.
We stayed at the Mara Sopa lodge, the most "hotel" of all the options on that side of the park. It's beautiful and comfortable, especially considering how remote the Mara is.
The Mara is a magical place and I highly recommend it.