Managing Director
Vowland Ethiopia Tour and Travel
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2019)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $174 to $406 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CN
Email zxh | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Irresponsible operator. Refuse to refund payment.
We lost $3600 with this operator, and the business owner, Abraham Haftamu, also treated us, the victim, in the most disrespectful way. Our booking experience with Vowland Ethiopia Tour has become a worst nightmare.
In July this year, we decided to book with this operator for our Ethiopia Safari tour. We emailed the official email address, which is under the operator's business website, for booking details. In early July, the operator emailed us the payment links to make the payment of $3600. Afterwards, they also confirmed the receipt of my payments from the same email address. However, we never received a contract, and this got me worried.
A few weeks later, we received emails from Abraham's email address claiming that his business website and email address had been hacked. He didn't receive any payments from us. He initially apologised for the situation and asked if we could pay an extra $1600 for the safari tour. ($600 initial discount he agreed to us, plus $1000 financial support due to the loss he suffered from the website hacking), While communicating the incident, he suddenly flipped his tone and refused to take any responsibility. But instead, claiming my email was hacked, that I was intentionally tracking and attacking his business. That I am a THIEF AND LIAR.
The whole incident is unbelievable. I didn't just lose my money, but also received the most disrespectful treatment.
I don't want to assume the worst for the business, but at least they are extremely irresponsible and refuse to take responsibility for their poor management. They refuse to resolve the issue, and they also refuse to refund any payment. But instead, they insist I am the THIEF and LIAR.
As a customer, this is the worst experience of my life. I hope no one has to experience the same.
I would like to thank the SafariBookings team and their investigation. Thank you for thoroughly looking into the evidence I submitted. I appreciate the time, the effort you gave to this matter.
Reply from Vowland Ethiopia Tour and Travel
Posted on Aug 27, 2025Official Response from Vowland Ethiopia Tour.
We are writing this statement in response to a recent attempt to discredit our company and damage our reputation through false accusations. Our company, Vowland Ethiopia Tour, has served travelers with honesty and professionalism for over eight years, providing quality, trustworthy service to both local and international clients.
❗ Incident Summary:
On April 21, we were contacted by a person requesting a 3-day Danakil Depression tour and a 5-day South Omo Valley tour for three travelers. We agreed on a total package price of $4,200 USD, with a deposit of $1,000 USD required in advance and the remaining $3,200 USD to be paid upon arrival in Addis Ababa.
We provided our official Ethiopian company bank account details for the deposit.
After sending several follow-up emails, we received no response. Then, on July 17, we received two unexpected emails—each under different names.
1. One sender claimed to be in Uzbekistan and promised to transfer the funds by July 20.
2. Another email stated that $3,600 USD had already been transferred on July 3 and requested a contract form.
How questions. How couldn't they deposit the money July 4 if they said in any email we will deposit July 20?? We leave the verdict to your mind who you read this review.
However, upon reviewing the payment, we discovered:
The money was allegedly sent to a company named Yaldo LTD in Sheffield (UK) — not our company. They make false transactions as we have attached to you.
We never use international bank accounts or accept full payment without a contract or service confirmation.
We only requested a $1,000 advance, not full payment.
This raised serious concerns, as the claim of transferring funds contradicts our agreement and protocols.
🚨 Scam Attempt & Investigation:
Following these irregularities, our IT department conducted a full review. It revealed:
Fake email accounts were created to impersonate clients.
False flight tickets and receipts were generated.
A WhatsApp message was later received from a young woman claiming to be the daughter of one of the travelers. She gave vague, contradictory answers and refused a Zoom meeting to resolve the issue.
When asked to speak to her mother (one of the supposed clients), she claimed they could not speak English—even though initial communication and the tour agreement were in English.
Eventually, we requested Ethiopian Airlines to verify the flight tickets. They confirmed that the booking number and names were fake.
📢 Our Stand:
These individuals made false accusations, attempted to scam our company, and now seem intent on damaging our reputation online. We have documented all evidence, including emails, WhatsApp messages, and verification reports from Ethiopian Airlines. And we found this case ETT tour has one who destroyed our company business by sent this women to make all those trouble and loss our trustworthy by our clients.
If these individuals proceed with further defamatory claims or false reviews, we are prepared to pursue legal action through Ethiopian courts for reputational damage and fraud.