US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lack of Integrity and Unethical Business
We were supposed to travel to South Africa in the summer of 2020 with Kanyezi Africa Safari. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, our trip was canceled. We contacted Chris and Michael Kanyezi to get a refund. Kanyezi said that they had given our total payment (approximately $24,000) to subcontractors that book flights, lodge reservations, safaris, etc. and could not get the money back. Side note, we also had a cruise, VRBO, and concerts planned in 2020, all of which were reimbursed to us with no problem. Airline flights hadn't been booked when they canceled, and they wouldn't even reimburse us for the flight. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when Kanyezi starts sending emails to rebook. Kanyezi said we had 2 weeks to rebook without being charged an increase of $2600 per person. Payments needed to be wired by December 29, 2020. Note: all payments had to be wired. I spoke with the owners and agreed to pay approximately $3900 per person to rebook. This money was to cover the flights from small airlines within Africa that went bankrupt. When a new contract was emailed to me, they had us paying $4628 per person PLUS $980 per person to cover taxes and fees. At this point, I was not willing to dump another $11,216 into this trip. That is what I would have to pay on top of the $23,990 I already paid, and I still had to buy insurance?!? I find it unethical and a lack of integrity to not reimburse us anything. I'm very disappointed with this company. A trip of a lifetime has turned into a $23,990 LOSS. I've saved for years for this trip. It's just incomprehensible.
US
Bware do not send money or deposits
Just had 2500$ deposit stolen and wont offer any refund because the company is going bankrupt! Complete SCAM stay away
US
Poor Value for Total Cost of Trip
I would reccomend staying clear of Go2Africa. The trips are overpriced and the customer service leaves alot to be desired. When they asked us for feedback after our trip we expressed our unhappiness and the customer service team wouldn't provide us with the link to post our review.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This company is fraudulent! I lost $2900! SCAM. Do not book!
I, like so many others on these reviews, paid thousands of dollars to It Started In Africa. We have lost all of the money. The owners claim the company who they subcontract for advertising took the money. It is absolutely untrue. We wired the money directly to ownership. Clients were stranded, and in our case, we lost $2,900.
Per our contract, I attempted to get out of our safari, as the contract clearly states that I may do so and take a 20% loss. I chose this option over taking a chance on this horrific company after clients began posting that they were being left stranded on their trips. I have now submitted two requests and the owner is no longer responding.
I am now seeking legal counsel in Tanzania and working with government agencies that oversee tour companies in the hopes of legally prosecuting this fraudulent company. Please read the reviews so many of us have posted. We have lost so much money.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Warning - Do not send money!
Company is bankrupt! Two weeks after we transferred the desposit the sales people told us that the company is not responding to any calls or emails.
We lost 2.000 USD, we are really angry. It seems like there is no way of getting the money back. What a horrible start of our vacation. I hope not too many customers are affected.
FR
Awful Customer Experience
While the tour to the Masai Mara and the lodge where we stayed was very nice, my experience with Bonfire Adventures as a customer has been quite a disaster from the beginning till the end.
Here is why:
- First the company forced us to pay the entire amount of the safari upfront while no other safari company has ever asked for that and leaving us with absolutely no guarantee and no leverage
- Secondly our driver was unresponsive at the time of the meeting and ended up showing more than hour late without even apologising. This led us to be stuck in traffic for hours when our drive could have been much shorter if we had departed on time.
- Thirdly when we showed up for the first time at the gate of the Masai Mara park the network did not work and we could not pay by credit card. Our driver almost blamed us not to have cash for the entrance fees while the company had told us we would have to pay the entrance fees by card and we had to negotiate to be able to get in.
- Fourthly, we were charged for our lunch on our way back to Nairobi on the third day while the safari package indicates a Full Board for the three days (the itinerary even mention that you will only go back at 4pm to Nairobi - way after lunch time) and never mentions any extra cost for this last lunch.
- Lastly and the most annoying, my luggage was lost on the way back to Nairobi and the company did not provide with any type of compensation while the luggage was under their responsibility. The only excuse they could come up with was "this has never happened before" which of course does not help solving the issue at all.
Therefore I would strongly advise against using them for any type of safari of excursion.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible experience with no accountability - Never pay in advance
This is a perfect example of an operator who will not care about you, once the money is in his pocket. I booked a 3 day plan for Ngorongoro, manyara and Tarangire.
As part of the safari, my requirement was to take night shots and early morning shots at the crater rim of Ngorongoro crater. For which I was carrying a tripod and other equipment. I booked through Mercury and specifically asked them over email, whether there is night stay at the crater rim, to which he responded YES.
When I actually reached Arusha, I was told about some other contact person (apparently from a 'sister' company). The jeep i got in was a shared jeep & they told me there is no crater night stay and it is only for people who go INTO Serengeti. The contact person Mr Loy in Arusha just forced me to go saying that he will make sure he talks to the agency and gets this sorted. (i didn't really have a choice, given that i had already made half the payment in advance)
When i was in Tarangire on the first day, and trying to call / message, all i heard was Mr Loy in Arusha blaming Mr Ndamungu in Mercury and vice versa.
It was such a depressing situation for me as a tourist, that i finally gave up.
In case you decide to book with them, please be advised that even if they commit to something, it might not happen. And they will ask you to be "flexible"
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beware!!! Fraud
We arrive today to a 10 days trip, already payed and they didn’t show up! We when to their office and there was no one. They dont get the phone... we went to the police and we found 3 more persons as us.
Now we dont have the money and we dont have vacations!
What you do in this cases?
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Rip off! Don't waste your hard earned money!
Poor communication, old vans for safari. Our van broke down and the safari was limited due to the status of the van. Didn't get to see all the animals at the maasai Mara. We had initially booked to stay at another hotel and they switched arrangements last minute to a mediocre camp that had bad food. Never again! Not worth it.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terribile situation
We had a safari planned by ISIA from 22nd to 27th August. Four days before our leaving from Italy, the sales office emailed us to cancel our last bank transfer as the company was going bankruptcy.
Thereafter we emailed many times to them, to the Chairman of the company, to the Italian Embassy in Tanzania and to the Tanzania Tourism Board.
Till the day before our leaving the Chairman wrote that our safari was on and not to worry about that. We ourselves contacted the accomodations and many of them answered that no booking had been made for us by ISIA. Moreover we read recent reviews (now cancelled) on TripAdvisor of people whose safari was on in August telling that they had to pay for their accomodations and for park fees. At that point we decided not to leave to avoid to loose some more money.
The total amount we paid to ISIA for the safari was 4,600USD so we contacted a lawyer whose name was given us by the Italian Embassy to ask him to assist us to recover our money.