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
US
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.
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.
Reply from Afrishare Trekking & Safaris
Posted on Sep 29, 2018I feel very sad to read this review from Tobias as I know he could do this, he was very stubborn from the beginning changing hotels one after another as well as itinerary in which we were patient to accommodate him , he ended up choosing 5 star hotel and refused to pay the 30% advance payment required instead he paid few hundreds and we went ahead and paid for him his bookings, then he promised that he would pay upon arrival before the safari.
Unfortunately when he arrived he refused to pay us and he said he was going to pay at the end of the safari after he is sure of his service which is against our policy so we disagreed with him. From there he started to find some loop hole and an excuses to take an advantages for not paying us accordingly as we noticed he was short in Money despite of needing luxury safari. First day our driver went to pick him on time at 8:30am as agreed time and he never showed up later he came at 12:00 with the reason that his son was swimming later he called me and complained that driver did not arrive on time so he wont pay the full amount, when the driver told him why he is lying he told him he did not tell me that, so he was telling me lying and also telling the driver lying. He also said the signal to pay via online was not working
we made invoice and asked him to pay online and he said time is limited he could pay upon arrival at the Hotel after the safari for the fist night, yet after the safari he had another complaint that diver was late but our driver was there on time and reception tried to call him several time he never picked the phone. We had to be serious after realizing that he is a thief trying to get free safari or pay very less against agreement and itinerary under the help of Manger of the Hotelwhere he was staying he had to pay and it is after we decided that we cannot proceed with his service until he pays because our policy is to finalize all the payment before starting the safari. However he also pay less of $300 from agreed money. Despite of all this we proceeded to provide the best service and he had very good experience as we brought him Brand New 7 sitter safari vehicle and one of our English speaking professional Driver guide
Therefore this man did this review on purpose to revenge as he has already done in many other online platform against me and my company. His mission was not successfully completed because he wanted to make fake excuses everyday and use that as a reason /complaint to allow him not to for the remaining balance which was large amount compared to what he paid as advance. We do get such client who think because they are client they can just ruin your business by writing online after they did not succeed to rip you off or still from you. He was looking for the free service or pay very less. Our problems is to trust him and allow him to start the safari without paying the full remaining balance. Please ignore him as you can see we are reputable and respected company from any other travelers.
I ask him to stop writing lies he traveled in April and now he come up with such negative review after writing to other networks as well so he is doing this on purpose.
Thank you for understanding, we promise our client that we will continue to do good job despite of few negative people scammers like this one.
Thank you
Ibrahim