Our team
Afrishare Trekking & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- TATO, TTB & USTOA
- Tour Types:
- Custom luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DK
Email Tobias | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Poor planning, no responsibility for their mistakes.
I'm sad to write that unlike most I had a poor experience with Afrishare.
The guide was ok, but manager Ibrahim was not. Because of poor planning on Ibrahims side we didnt meet the agreed itenerary on the first day. I call Ibrahim with whom I planned the itenerary and tell him that because of this i wnat to pay the last 30% on the last day, so Im sure that I will get what I paid for. This he is absolotely NOT ok with, and he accuses me of trying to avoid payment.
Also he claims that I should pay more than agreed upon in the written agreement. We only managed to reach a solution late on the third day meaning that the first three days was marred by hours of discussion and IT-mistakes by his company leading to us not having time for the planned game drive.
The arguments got very childish on Ibrahims part:
1) He argued that I made up IT-issues in order to avoid payment, when in fact his online payment-system was not working, which he in the end admitted, and I was made to make a bank transfer (I had to pay all 80USD bank charges).
2) He said that he knew my "personality type" and that I was making up issues to avoid paying - he said he had had many bad customers like me before.
3) In the end he kept switching between that I should only pay 700 USD in what he sarcasticly called a "free safari" or, that I should pay 2200. I stuck with the 1900 that was in the written agreement in the e-mail.
4) after spending the first three hours of the second day discussing and trying to work out his IT problems, I asked if we could part ways, and I could pay some of his expenses + take the paid hotel stays with me to another operater. He declined this offer saying I had to pay 2200 because he had paid everything already. Later I found out that he had NOT paid all expenses incl. the 300 USD park fees to Ngorongoro crater.
I ended up paying 1900 + 80 USD bank/creditcard charges + 50USD tip for the driver for a genuinely bad experience, only after involving hotel manager and threataning with police. My four year old son and I had been looking forward to this for months, and this was both the worst and most expensive holiday ever. Luckily - and most importantly - my son seemed to enjoy most of the safari. Writing this, however, I feel like I should have accepted Ibrahim's 700 USD "free safari", though I doubt he would have kept his word.
Email David and Pam | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bait and switch!!! Lier!!! Find a different safari operator!!!
Afrishare does not even rate one star!
Let me start by telling you that I am in the charter business and very familiar with bad tour operations. We did a seven day private tour in 4 parks. The Masai Marain in Kenya The Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater and Tarangire in Tanzania.
If Abrahim Juma Mkwizuthe (the owner) lips we’re moving he was lying, He lied about vehicles, time spent in wildlife parks, accommodations, travel times, and what was included in his advertised package. On your website!
Meet and great at the airport upon arrival in Nairobi Kenya to meet our driver and taken to our hotel. Afrishare did not show. We had to get a taxi. The guide was not informed of our arrival until we were at our hotel.
The drivers were great but the vehicles were junk, absolutely trash, you could not see out the windows, the seats were not functional, not safari vehicles, one was a 20 plus year old two wheel drive van with no working Vhf. bald tires. The radios that professional operators use to communicate with other drivers to locate the animals. We were sent pictures of new safari vehicles that we would be in, these were not the ones provided. You had to lay the seat back to see out of the window! And could not see out the front! I cannot imagine if there were more than my wife and I in the vehicle.
Once deposit was made Accommodations that we’re advertised in the park we’re now fully booked and unavailable Afrishare replaced these with inferior lodging outside the park. Afrishare then saved money by having the driver do a game drives outside the park, therefore only having to pay for one day in Serengeti park, not two as advertised saving park entrance fees ( anyway this man could cheat you out of a dollar he would)
Travel times between masía Mara park and Serengeti 5 hours turned into 11 hours on the road in a beat up old dusty truck going down washboard back trails at 10 to 20 mph. We could not look out window without laying the seat at a 45 degree angle, then no time for game drive, regardless we did not stay in park.
Driving between saringett and Ngorongoro he took us down backroads where Afrishare wasted time so he would only pay for one day in crater park fees
Promised a full day in Ngorongoro crater we maybe got 3 hours in the bottom as we had to be outside the park by 1 in the afternoon so he did not have to pay park fees.
Afrishare promised a 7 Days safari inside these wonderful parks! He only paid park fees for 4 and a half days, pocketing the remaining entrance fees! We were asked to leave as early as 5 in am to accommodate him saving money on park fees!
Afrishare should not be able to advertise on your website, he gives Africa, it’s wonderful parks, animals and it’s great people a bad name!
Shame on him!
David Rothschiller
Reply from Afrishare Trekking & Safaris
Posted on Sep 8, 2022"Nothing was lied as the final itinerary was discussed and agreed on before even they could confirm and pay down payment. The client wanted to have final itinerary with all the agreed lodges and plan before paying and confirming the down payment of the tour. We really don't know what was his expectation as this is two countries driving safari as he was informed about the distances from Nairobi to Masai mara 6 hours drive, Masai Mara Kenya to Serengeti 8 our total with en route game drive and border clearances it is where he think time was taken but in reality that was the scheduled and client even called for clarification. They are just old people who have no faith and stubborn who are just bad in general he knows everything and never wanted to listened to our briefings as they wanted to take advantage after we have refused to follow their command which was out of the itinerary and agreement. Our opinion is that regardless of what any one could do to please them no one could make this people happy.
The Safari vehicle in Kenya was Safari Van this is what was quoted for and agreed but they refused it on Second day in Masai Mara and stared to find excuses to refuse the vehicle where they found one sit could not lay back but the van has 7 sits and all 6 was functioning and even laying back and they were just two of them in the car, we took quick decision and listened and hired Toyota Land cruiser from our own fund as they refused to use van and refused to pay for the land cruiser in which they needed after seeing other client having but still they could not be satisfied. No any vehicle breakdown and these are the vehicles we use for all our many satisfied client.
client choose to stay at Serengeti Simba Lodge outside Serengeti from Masai Mara as this day was just transferring day but as soon as they got there they demanded that they should enter Serengeti that evening driver tried to explain that was not on their plan and extra park fees for that evening even entering for one hour would apply and they refused we had to pay for the extra park fees for them to have game drive at nearby wildlife management controlled area which was not on the itinerary as per itinerary this day was just driving from Masai Mara to overnight at Simba Lodge bordering Srerengeti park still could not appreciate this. The itinerary followed accordingly and nothing was skipped but client was very difficult to please as they wanted to do what they want and not wanted to listed to the driver as this man seems to know everything he never listened anything and never wanted to, what he wanted is for us to listened and do what he want out of agreed itinerary as he bragging that he is reach and he had big company with many employee so we as African we cannot tell him anything which was insulting.
Meet and great at the airport upon arrival in Nairobi Kenya to meet our driver and taken to our hotel. Afrishare did not show. We had to get a taxi. The guide was not informed of our arrival until we were at our hotel.
The client told me that their flight was cancelled twice and they were going to tell me when will be their new arrival date and all over sudden they text that they are at The airport
I Told them to take a taxi to the hotel in which we paid for it as it could take time for our driver to reach there and we did not wanted them to wait long as we did not have their new arrival date or information therefore this is a totally big lie and not accepted is just fake allegations up things to legalize his please see the whatsapp conversation
This is again a big lie because The never paid any advance payment or booked the tour until they have agreed on itinerary as well as made sure we book and confirm all the lodges before they could book. We had several lodges discussions until we came up with final which agreed by client and no any lodges changed after the client had booked and confirmed their tour. However the only lodge upgraded before they could book and confirm was from Rhino lodge on the rim of the crater to Ngorongoro Serena Lodge and this was big up grade and not downgrade . you can see how the client was just intentionally planned to write lies to ruin our business as we could not do everything he wanted us to do. we even gave them sunset dinner and we paid for it after they refused to pay for everything extra but we could not even please them.
The same car photos we sent them it is the same they used and there not any single break down and we do have one of the best vehicle and latest than most companies and it is the same cars we are using for all the tours always.
regarding time spent in the park client wanted full day time without counting travelling time to reach the parks even after driver tries to brief them at the lodge and on pick up and as per itinerary which is impossible to spend all time in al parks without counting the travel time during transfers from one park to another. Client stayed inside the park in most parks such as in Masai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater as and the other two lodges was outside the park as per itinerary, for Example all park fees are calculated for 24 hours if staying in the park means the same time you enter in the park the day before it is the same time you will be needed to get outside the park next day but client did not wanted to understand and wanted to extend time without paying extra park fees. This client was just been mean and mischievour(mischief) and stubborn there was no way we could please such client but we will try our best level to be much informative as we can to such kind of client or decline them from the beginning to avoid unnecessary problems since your reviews platform is client centered.
Yes we agree that one sit in the car could not lay back but the van has 7 sitters which are working properly laying back etc they were just two of them i the car why that only one sit become an issue? however is not must for sit to lay back as most of the safari car sits are fixed due to the road situation.
Please ignore this reviews as have a lot of fake and made up stories.
Email Banu | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unreliable
From personal experience I recommend that you dont book with Afrishare. I don't want this to happen to anyone else. Be cautious when booking with this provider Afrishare as the company owner, Ibrahim is unfortunately running a really poor business.
We booked a five day tour with him, where 2 of the 5 days the car broke down. The point of a safari is to ensure that the car takes you comfortably from point A to point B. During the first breakdown we had to jump into another tour companies vehicle and join another family for one full day and then additionally on the second incident we had to spend half the day waiting for the car to be fixed. On top of all this the itinerary for the safari was poorly planned. We did not get enough time to appropriately see the national parks, for example at the Ndutu National Park we drove there, slept and left straight away the next morning. Not allowing us to explore for animals there. It merely felt like a stop over and notnwhat was sold to us to see animals. If he was an honest business, he would understand what he put us through, especially considering that this was an anniversary trip that we had organized together and provide us a reasonable compensation. However, he was only willing to compensate for a permit, not the two days we had lost.
Ibrahim went back and forth with us and made some absurd comments on his lack of responsibility for giving us a very old rusted and clearly unfunctional car. I advise to any future Safari clients. Please do not book with him!!
Lastly one clear point I want to make is that our guide, Deo, was absolutely phenomenal in providing us such an amazing service and making sure that we were comfortable even in these difficult situations! He did his very best to make sure that he could give us the best tour with the limited time given with the car situation. If it was not for Deo, we would have canceled the trip on our 3rd day when the car broke down again with 2 new issues.
Email Ram | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Afrishare Beware!!
Our 5-day safari in Serengeti National Park was deeply disappointing due to serious vehicle issues that severely impacted the experience. Two out of the five days were lost to repeated car breakdowns. The vehicle provided was in poor condition, unsafe, and unreliable for long distances on safari terrain. Instead of exploring and viewing wildlife, we spent hours waiting for repairs.
This loss of time significantly reduced the value of the trip and caused unnecessary stress during what should have been a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A safari company should prioritize guest safety and dependable transport, especially in remote areas. Unfortunately, the condition of the vehicle and the repeated mechanical failures made this safari far below acceptable standards.
In addition, the Tour Operator of Afrishare Ibrahim, treated us with a lack of care. His exchange via messages was rude and disrespectful. His inability to show a level of understanding and care for what had happened was shocking.
The only shinning light was our guide Deo, who tried his very best to manage the situation and tried to ensure we experienced all the safari had to offer with the limited time.