Rogue Tour Guides

[CornellMans]

Please note that the Thread title has been changed as the Topic has expanded. - Admin

Got this from a post on FB:

"Our Nightmare Trip to Lesotho with tourgide Johan van Rensburg. Yvonne and I was invited to n guided tour to Lesotho by one of her lady friends who has never gone offroad with her 4x4. We agreed in support of her. We had n pre-meeting with the guide, Johan van Rensburg, and he ensured us that Sani Pass was going to be the only and worst 4x4 we will encounter. On this info, we convinced the lady that she can do it with her 4x4.

On the 3rd day of the trip we left Katsedam for a Lodge.. The guide desided to take a shortcut over the mountains, 230km, without discussing it with us, at least not with me. After about 4hrs on a very rough road we had a pitstop and I told him the map indicates this as a "4x4/Track/ Route" and after what we have allready experienced, I suggested we turn back. He told me that he knows this road and it wil become better. If we turn back, we will have to travel back on this bad road. We believed him and carried-on. The road became worse and worse and we carried- on till midnight. To make a long story shorter, we we suppose to sleep 3 nights in a Lodge, we slept 3 nights on the mountain in our vechicles. We had to build roads, cross a river with no bridge, we had rain, wind, icerain, no facilities, we had to share our water, our lives were in danger due to the cliffs, all 6 vechicles got damaged in some or other way. My damage is R18 600.00. I belief some vechicles damage is much more.

Now comes the bad story, this guide has never been on this road, he could not control his temper, he shouted at some of us, even to the ladies, he has no communication skills, he kept us in the dark and nonsense us, he has poor 4x4 skills, eg. you don't charge and attack an obsticle, you go as slow as possible and as fast as neccesary. His winch broke after the 2nd use, we had to fix it and then it broke again beyond repair. The Bosotho's on the road helped us a lot, he shouted at them, even wanted to beat one. He has seroius anger management issues. He also does not listen to advice, he wants to do it his way. He is the worse tourgide I have ever experienced in my life, and I have been on many.

After the 3rd night on the mountain, the 4th day, the 2 lady and 2 men drivers refused to carry-on and we demanded to get help. The guide then contated Search and Rescue in Gauteng and they put a team together from Bloemfontein. They arrived at noon and got us off the mountain at midnight, after their V8 Landcruiser broke a sideshaft and another vechicle allmost rolled down a cliff, they managed to hang onto it by hand, and then luckely recoverd it.

They escorted us to a lodge, 01:00 in the morning and then they had to drive back to Bloemfontein. I Salute them and they saved our lives.

That night the tourgide shouted once again at one of the ladies. He again dit not communicate the breakfast arrangements for the morning. We desided we had enough of his incompatence, and left the tour.

Please share our story as wide as possible to try and prevent a reoccurence with someone els. He promissed to refund me for the Lodge Costs, now he refuses. This is a very bad person, beware."

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... 0965451539

[jakeslouw]

There are quite a few Johan van Rensburgs involved in eco tourism.

An example:
https://ecoexploreafrica.com/contact/

Perhaps more detail is required.

[Mad Manny]

Sorry to hear about this nightmare Corne.
Cheers

He Henri, Cornell wasn't on the trip, look at the top where he says he took the story off Fakebook...

[Johannes]

Nog n houtkapper .

[Paul#25]

This is going to give the guys that want everyone involved in the 4x4 industry to be registered ammo for their quest again. I do know that you have to be registered with some branch of the tourism board to be any type of guide. This guy obviously isn't qualified, never mind registered to do anything like what he did.

[Bugger]

So uncalled for

Hellshoogte
Of Road to Hell

[HenriSteyn]

Sorry to hear about this nightmare Corne.
Cheers

He Henri, Cornell wasn't on the trip, look at the top where he says he took the story off Fakebook...

Sorry I read half......

[Bugjuic]

Another bad experience on Facebook:

Quoted from group: Link https://www.facebook.com/groups/2912720 ... 232041931/

Net om julle te laat weet. Nie Hannelie Schutte of Juan Cronje van Ratel Adventure Safaris het opgedaag Maandag aand 2 Okt by Stockpoort Border Lodge waar ons almal by mekaar moes kom om Botswana te toer tot 15 Okt nie. Stockpoort Border Lodge se hulle het Sondag aand 1 Okt n what's app gekry om te se 5 voertuie gaan die 2de inboek. Indien hulle beplan het om hier te wees sou hulle vir 6 voertuie bespreek het. Ook niks betaal nie, so ons moes R350 betaal vir die nag. Almal alleen oor die grens na Botswana, en gaan self Botswana toer, en alles weer betaal en kamp en bly vir n die tyd.
R20 000 weg.
Pasop vir Ratel Adventure Safaris, jy sal nie weer jou geld sien nie, en ook gee toer mee maak nie.
Hulle is net Scamsters.

Maybe just a precaution. Seems to be legit complaint. Maybe someone else could avoid the costly mistake...

[Mad Manny]

Your Guides are like Solar Installers ~ only 2% are any good...

[iandvl]

There are guides and guides. Some have sterling reps. Others fetch wood - like the one or two examples in this post. Disappointed to hear about Ratel Safaris - I thought they were legit. I think I may ping them to hear what their side of the story is.... But that does not sound good.

My biggest issue with guides is the fact that they charge gazillion $$$ for trips that are essentially free. I understand the concession things - I have a desire at some point to drive all the way to the Cunene on the skeleton coast. When my boat comes in one day and I can afford it, I'll do that.

But, I mean - take something like River Trip. Free. Not too bad. Why the gazillion$$$$ fee ? The Namaqua Eco-route / Richtersveld / etc zare not necessarily "free" - you still need to pay for your permits etc, but I've seen "tour packages" listed for mega bucks for what is actually not a seriously technical drive.... Worst of this, is that a chunk of these were not even full-board. ie: you need to take your own vittals...

The problem I have is the fact that stuff like this, as well as various "richard craniums" who screw up pristine routes / campsites etc, gives organisations like one which I am not going to name here ammunition for more regulation. And they are pushing for more regulation of these things. If I need to pay a guide to drive into the Richtersveld again, I am going to be fairly pissed off with life.

Final word on this matter: I detest unethical people. Like rogue guides / wood fetchers / scammers / you-name-it.

[Bogaards]

I would be interested to see the route they are referring to.

When we did the Senqu trip we also crossed rivers without bridges. I assumed that the idea for this group was to mainly stay on the main routes. If you are not prepared for it and you dont have a good capable guide this will happen.

I do know that a route like the Senqu trip is now not driveable anymore. Not even the Bus routes due to the rain they had this year. (Could have changed).

I am thinking about putting something together on how to select a tour operator. Unfortunately I have to point out that I have seen some video as well where guys are not following good practices. Driving without seat belts. Having a beer over lunch and then driving again for example (please add to the list).

People should be careful to not spoil it for others...

[iandvl]

In the meantime, I have been in touch with Hannelie and Juan to hear what actually happened with the Ratel thing.

[Bogaards]

Why I asked for the route, here is our Lesotho trip, we did not have any damage on the vehicles. I suppose if you don't know what you are doing it can go wrong. Also it shows that when you are friendly towards the locals they will actually help you.
Ficksburg to Semonkong:
https://youtu.be/E4at73uemaw

Crossing the Senqu River:
https://youtu.be/6zKr1M8N0wE
The people might have ended up on a track like this. I believe this is the part that is not really drivable anymore (unless you are willing to do some road building)

Driving to the Katse Dam:
https://youtu.be/QsG6joBqt6w

[iandvl]

For the Ratel thing, I got the following response:

Hi Ian,

Thank you for asking. You are first and only person to ask us what happened.

The short of the story is, our vechile broke down while we had no signal and could not get a message to the group.

They have already contacted all our sponsors wich obviously canceled with us today. Future bookings have canceled as well due to their postings on different social media pages.

The group said they are not going to stop posting on any site, so you guys will have postings from them daily, and we will have to most probably close our company.

Further message reads:

Absolutely, I have no problem with that. They have already decided that we are thieves although we will reimburse each one of them.

No idea about the 5 vs 6 vehicle thing.

[iandvl]

Comment re 5 vs 6 vehicle thing:

Ag tog, ja, orals waar ons gaste in bespreek voltooi hulle een of ander rigister, as ons dan opdaag om te betaal kry ons as gidse miskien n 5 of 10% korting. Ons kry korting op die hele konfooi nie, daarom tel ek net die voertuie in die konfooi en bespreek so. Die aantal voertuie en persone word tog getel by aankoms by elke ontvangs.

Edit: That actually makes sense.