Bonfire Adventures
- Located In:
- Size:
- 100-250 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $2,255 to $9,540 per person per day (MXN, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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.
Email Andy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Bonfire Adventures support scammers
Visit Masai Mara, but NOT with Bonfire Adventures.
DRIVER/GUIDE TOOK THE TICKET MONEY FOR HIMSELF.
I ordered 3 days safari in the private car during my few days stay in Kenya with pickup from Nairobi. On the 1st day driver/guide stopped the car at a certain distance before the park entry gate and informed me that the entry fee can only be paid in cash. He mentioned that card terminal is broken and Bonfire should inform me about it. When I proposed we can go together and buy tickets he said someone should stay with the car. When he was back, I asked for the ticket and… surprise another failure, ticked machine is broken and that I will get the ticked on the exit two days later. When I messaged bonfire office asking if this is normal, I only get the info that they will check this and that was the end of communication. Two days later at exit I asked to stop at the gate to ‘take some photos’. I asked at the counter about card payment and the clerk told me ‘it’s working all the time, every day’. When I confronted back the driver he said that clerk is lying and he promised me the ticked when we will arrive back to my hotel. At the end he was trying to give me a ticked with someone else’s name on it and with the date from previous month. Clear scam were driver keeps entry fee for himself and no ticked is issued.
3 DAY RIDE IS ACTUALLY ONE DAY RIDE. POOR CAR CONDITION
Itinerary is more or less like this. First and last day is ¬6h drive from and to Nairobi. Rest of the time should be the game ride.
What I get in reality was 2h ride on day 1 and full day ride on day 2. Day 3 was just rush ride to the gate without even opening the roof. I can say only day 2 was game drive however the driver didn’t even know how to use 4x4 (other guides were trying to explain this to him) and therefore we lost some time rolling in the mud and taking d-tours. Car also had several issues, engine was going out frequently, wipers were not working, driver had to stop and use bottled water to clean window, overall problem with electric, no radio and antena. On top of that Day 3 was real failure, driver proposed we will first take breakfast in the lodge and then do the game ride. What really happen after breakfast we rushed to the exit without even opening the roof, it took 25 min maximum. There was no game ride on that day. On the way to Nairobi, driver almost killed a pedestrian because he was overtaking other cars using roadside!
BONFIRE OFFICE COVERING THE SCAM
After my return I escalated all above concerns to the bonfire office, only after several emails I got response that they will reimburse half of the entry ticket price, less than 5% of total price. Till today after 4 months I didn’t get any refund, all I was getting for the first month were excuses that I have to have local bank account or that driver can bring cash to the hotel (they know I’m a tourist and not leaving in KE). When I told bonfire they can reimburse the same way as I paid, this is credit card, I got well known response, reimbursement to cred card is broken :D:D:D
Apparently scam with no issuing entry ticket is common, however bonfire supporting this and trying to cover this up is way below any standard. I have all pictures of fake tickets or email exchange with excuses.
Email KIKI | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonest,Disorganized,Ripoff,Old Worn Out Tour Van .
Avoid SILVESTER at all costs . He is supposedly the SENIOR TOUR CONSULTANT at one of their Nairobi branches .He does not reply emails ,texts and when i confronted him he said he didn't receive any emails . Luckily we got a different Consultant Terry who booked us our safari to MasaiMara and Mombasa .Bonfire didn't honor the price quotes they had stated earlier and their reason was the prices have changed .The price quotes on their website are wrong . Hotel transfers from train station in Mombasa was a disaster .Anyway Terry did her best and she was warm and welcoming . Martin was our driver and tour guide . He was excellent in everyway . Its sad he works for such a disorganized company.Avoid this tour company if you want to enjoy your vacation .May be pay a little more elsewhere for your own comfort and peace of mind. SHAME ON YOU BONFIRE!
Email Judy | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Horrible and misleading communication with details left hanging until last minute poor job!
We paid months in advance, yet even the day before each stay we did not have lodging confirmations. They tried to get an extra $200 from us saying the bank transfer we sent was short. They did not advise we would need cash for entrance fees until we were already in Kenya. Left some fees unpaid at lodging which we were forced to pay in order to check out. Did not respond to inquiries in a timely manner. Bonfire does not provide a carefree vacation, as you need to fight for information and details constantly. In the end we got what we needed but only because we actively worked for it. I would not recommend this company. It seems other reviewers have had similar experiences so it is likely a company problem.
Reply from Bonfire Adventures
Posted on Jul 31, 2018We paid months in advance, yet even the day before each stay we did not have lodging confirmations. ANS- that is normal for proper pre booking of services like hotel
They tried to get an extra $200 from us saying the bank transfer we sent was short. ANS - their are standard charges that bank charges all transaction and kindly note our package are nett.
They did not advise we would need cash for entrance fees until we were already in Kenya. ANS - this is well mentioned in the terms and condition where by it shows what is included in the package and what is excluded.
Left some fees unpaid at lodging which we were forced to pay in order to check out. ANS - the package doesn't include extras like drinks and laundry in hotels and its clearly indicated at the EXCLUDED column.
Did not respond to inquiries in a timely manner. ANS - this might be human error which will be rectified immediately.
Bonfire does not provide a carefree vacation, as you need to fight for information and details constantly. In the end we got what we needed but only because we actively worked for it. ANS - Our tour consultant are interactive and we have competent labor force which is complimented with a whole guest relation office to assist in clients satisfaction
I would not recommend this company. It seems other reviewers have had similar experiences so it is likely a company problem. ANS - this is very regrettably and we promise to be more responsive and every mentioned mistake will be looked into.
CA
Email Dave | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unprofessional
Johnston was absolutely terrible in communicating while trying to set up this safari. He tripled The listed price of our safari and was very obtuse and vague about why. Extremely unprofessional and rude. Communication in English with this man is exceedingly difficult, he became rude on the phone and hung up on me. Very unprofessional, look elsewhere to book your safari.
Email Rich | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible from the very beginning.
This company was recommended to me by some friends, so even with the terrible communication and rude service from Johnston, I decided to stick with them. Firstly, Johnston’s is extremely rude, and barely understands English so don’t bother talking to him on the phone, he literally hung up on us after getting angry that he couldn’t understand us. Prices were listed as 240$ for the particular camp we wanted to go to but he was quoting us 640 each for a week. We had to seek out someone else to deal with. Just go with another tour operator, very very unprofessional company.
I had a terrible experience and poor customer service. My booking was mishandled.
I live in the USA, I asked my sister to book a 3 day trip to Masai Mara for me. She was sent an email with options. We opted for the promotion bornfire adventures were offering at the time. We were not give much details of the place, no brochures or the name of the place we would be staying. The email said "Masai Mara budget tented camp" my goodness! I have never in my entire life seen such a filthy place by name
"manyata camp" Molded tents, dusty beddings, stinky pit latrine welcome toilets,flies all over the place not to mention the filthy bathrooms. When I asked to be upgraded I was told to cancel my booking and start a new one paying at a 100%. I opted to check out soonest, I was told that was going to cost me because I was inconveniencing other guests in the vehicle. I had 2 small children, I was left feeling helpless and forced to put up with the crapy place for 3 day. When i complained, I was told I had a personality issue because nobody else had ever complained of the place. I have pictures of the place.
Email Margaret | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very disappointing service
I was dealing with Mary a Bonfire Agent who from the start barely provided me with information and later hiked prices & made excuses to cover herself. Bonfire has lost its quality service and I will never use them again
Email Bob | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It was like pulling teeth to get our agent to be responsive! Will never use again.
Two way communications between the agent and us were largely non existent unless we pressed. Even then we got partial or no answers. We booked early and were told travel insurance was required (Not so!!!) but we paid for insurance then were told they could not get it for us and would refund the money. We charged everything to American Express but were told we would be refunded in cash when we arrived in Kenya. After days of messages back and forth and resistance to paying we finally received cash but it was less than was owed. There was a mix-up upon arrival at the safari largely due to the utter lack of communication and follow through by the agent. Thank goodness the lodge manager was effective.
Email Olivia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dishonest and Disorganised
We booked with Bonfire Adventures for a 3 day trip to Mara Maasai and after our experience would not recommend Bonfire Adventures for the following reasons.
1. Disorganised.
Bonfire were highly disorganised. I felt as if I was doing most of the organisation and I was trying to organise their agent to book things for us. I had to repeatedly follow up with them about if they had made the booking and what time we would be collected to start the Safari. They only confirmed who was collecting us at 7pm the night before we were due to leave at 7am the next morning. They asked us to let the driver know where to collect us from even though we had already provided them with that information more than a week in advance.
2. Dishonesty
We asked them for a quote as to the cost, which they provided to us. It wasn't until after we paid that they informed us that they had quoted us the residents rate rather then non-residents rate and would have to pay more money. I have a very English first and surname so I have no idea why they would assume that I was a resident. They then said that I should have known that it was the residents rate as they had charged us in the local currency rather then US dollars. I asked them to return my money to me as I did not want to pay extra as this would make the safari significantly more expensive. It was only at this point they said that they could actually offer it to us at the residents rate.
Perhaps more disappointing was that they were dishonest with money. I sent them the money for the Safari and paid the bank fees. According to my calculations I unintentionally underpaid them 700 KES (Approx. 7 USD) due to the different the conversion rates. However Bonfire said that I had underpaid them by 5,600 KES (Approx. 53 USD). When I questioned this they said the difference must be due to bank fees. I went back and checked that and in fact I had already paid these fees. I asked for further proof of exactly how much they received in the transfer but they only provided an internal spreadsheet, but nothing from their bank. I have asked them to provide me with a way to pay the remaining 700 KES and am waiting to hear back from them.
3. Driver
The driver was also disappointing as at the end of our Safari we were dropped off at Lake Naivasha. He put pressure on us to pay him to drive us back to Nairobi after we were finished at the lake in a few days time. He asked us to pay him $120,000 KES and told us that we wouldn't get anyone to drive us back to Nairobi for less then $100,000 KES. We phoned a great driver we had previously used in Nairobi who immediately suggested a much more reasonable price of 70,000 KES and didn't pressure us at all to go with him.
They also ask to do a client feedback form which you then return to the staff who you are assessing so its difficult to give honest and open feedback in these circumstances.