Lake Turkana (Northern Kenya)
Afrikan Buffalo Wildlife Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2018)
- Member Of:
- AMREF & Tourism Regulatory Authority
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $1,500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
The company did not deliver the 5-day trip as agreed upon, and until now is unable to refund us.
We booked a 5-day Meru-Samburu tour with the Malindi-based Afrikan Buffalo Wildlife Safaris Ltd. on 09-13 March 2024. We chose it because it is one of the few companies we found that offer such package, and we saw good reviews online.
We have already paid the full amount for the tour at least a month before the scheduled trip. The trip commenced on 09 March, in Meru National Park, but it got cut short on 11 March. As we were trying to check out from the camp in Meru in the morning, we were informed by the camp management that the tour company had not yet settled our bill. The camp did not allow us to leave the premises until the company is able to pay the balance.
The company's representative told us that he was still on his way to the bank, and later on, said they were scammed by another tourist so they are at a police station in Malindi, and many other excuses. It took the company seven (7) hours to send the payment to the hotel (not even full payment, and we even had to cover some remaining amount). This meant we were stuck in the hotel parking lot for seven hours, much to our embarrassment in front of other hotel guests and staff. It also meant that the next leg of the trip, going to Samburu, was no longer feasible, so we headed back to Nairobi in the afternoon of 11 March.
We even had to pay for the gas money for our trip back to Nairobi as we found out that the company had not given the driver enough money for fuel for the whole duration of the 5-day trip.
The company expressed its apologies and promised to provide a refund within 10 days, but until today (almost a month) has not made any.
The company also insists on providing only partial refund, but according to its very own Contract and Booking and Cancellation Policy, we are entitled not only to full refund, but also to compensation, as the cancellation of the rest of the trip was the company's fault.
We had a horrible experience with Afrikan Buffalo Wildlife Safaris Ltd. They made the decision to send us to Meru, fully knowing that they have not paid the hotel yet, and they concealed this information to us, the clients. The company has also been unresponsive and non-committal about its timeline for refunding us. We sought the intervention of the TRA, but despite this, the company remains unable to give us our refund, in accordance with the terms of the company's contract/booking and cancellation policy.