Ratel Adventure Safaris

Please be aware before booking a dream self-drive overland adventure with RATEL ADVENTURE SAFARI’S / RATEL TRAVEL / RATEL SAFARIS / HANNELIE SCHUTTE & JUAN CRONJE. We have to guide and look out for each other. This post will also be shared on a few different FB pages. We have been deceived by RATEL in so many ways. We were a tour group of 6 vehicles that was scheduled to go to Botswana in October for a self-drive overland adventure we paid a year in advance in FULL. Except for my husband. 2 weeks prior to our departure, HANNELIE SCHUTTE asks him for the outstanding balance. Fully knowing that they have not made any reservations, anywhere. They now have about R120,000 from our October tour group. After an investigation I came across some people (also 6 vehicles) that were also scammed by them for a tour that was scheduled in June, RATEL received about R110,000 from this group. Regarding the “upcoming” tour in December, these people that have ALREADY PAID have requested their booking vouchers and nothing was given to anyone at this date and time. They have already received the itinerary for the tour. Now Hannelie is not responding to those people’s enquiries. Please keep in mind that the larger amount of people in both of these groups are pensioners. Some of them had to make their way home as they did not have the additional funds to go on this dream adventure that was planned so long in advance. After paying them, the route information from them was very limited. We needed to prepared and get ready to take on the Central Kalahari in Botswana. They claimed that they were always on tour and without signal. Also claiming that they had problems with their vehicle (MARTHA). How convenient that most of the events now repeat themselves two times in a row. On both occasions they wrote a Very sad story on FB claiming that they had issues with their vehicle. People are making them out to be crooks. All of the negative comments & replies are being filtered/deleted. WHYYYY? Only the heartfelt messages are left open for public view. Also, after raising alarms bells regarding their Company Registration number that was not listed incorrectly, the RATEL Web page was first “PERMANENTLY CLOSED” on Google and, now all of a sudden they are up and running again. With slight changes to their page. WARNING!!!!!!!!! RED FLAGS!!! Please see for yourselves this is the old page – https://ratel-adventure-travels.business.site/ This is the updated site https://ratelsafaris.co.za/ Their registered address is 1188 DICKESON AVE, WAVERLY, PRETORIA. You are more than welcome to search this for yourselves. This is a tennis court. But I am sure this will also be changed on their site during the course of the day/week. Upon arriving at Stockpoort Border we tried to phone them so many times after we realized that we were scammed. Both of the phone numbers that we had was RINGING without answer. (If you don’t have signal the, phone will go to voicemail or not ring at all) this was NOT the case. The phone just kept on ringing. They claimed that they had no signal, but advertised on FB for another tour. (That has now been removed) Also, in that time they were sharing other stuff on FB. (In other words they had signal) they just declined our calls. We settled our account at Stockpoort Border Lodge and went on the route that they (planned for us). Further no reservations/bookings were made by (RATEL ADVENTURE SAFARI’S / RATEL TRAVEL / RATEL SAFARIS / HANNELIE SCHUTTE & JUAN CRONJE) no deposits were paid by them and we had to pay all of the camp sites a second time from our own pocket. All receipts have been kept. The accommodation at Stockpoort Border was only booked via Whatsapp 2 days prior to our Arrival. 2 days????? We paid this a year ago. This was confirmed by the Lodge Management, they also said that have never heard of RATEL ADVENTURE SAFARI’S / RATEL TRAVEL / RATEL SAFARIS / HANNELIE SCHUTTE & JUAN CRONJE before. All of us have been blocked by HANNELIE SCHUTTE on Facebook. Once again, my question if you have nothing to hide why go to such extreme extents? They operate from South Africa. Up to this day not HANNELIE SCHUTTE or JUAN CRONJE contacted any of us directly explaining something or even apologizing. Instead we have been blocked on Facebook & WhatApp Not any of us from this tour also nor the June tour has been refunded or compensated in any way from RATEL. They have a standard message that JUAN CRONJE copies and paste on all of their active Whatsapp groups. They only vented on FB and that they are losing sponsors. Why not vent to us – the people who they own money to. They have not even tried to make any arrangements with any of us to refund us in any way. They claimed on the WhatsApp group we would get a refund “if it is the last thing they do”…. Now, once AGAIN they are not answering any of our messages or telephone calls. All of us have been blocked. They created a Back a Buddy fundraiser page on their wall asking for money to help repair their vehicle. What happened to our money? Or the money that was paid by the people from the June Tour? Or the deposits taken for “upcoming tours”? Also keep in mind that they are still taking deposits from more people for “upcoming tours”. In fact, they are not willing to refund a lady her money after she fell ill with a doctor’s note (I am now aware of 3 people in the same situation with a Doctor’s Instruction) They are shamelessly b@llshitting people to feel sorry for them. How is it possible for them to still go on tour with this unreliable vehicle? I would also like to find out if anyone has made a legal case against them for the same events that happened to us? Could you please get in contact with me. Please be aware of these 2 people. They take your hard-earned money and savings without blinking an eye. We are devastated after being deceived in such a manner. All that I ask of you is to thoroughly do your homework before making a booking with RATEL. There are so many amazing, great and reliable touring operators that we have booked with before. But I can assure you RATEL ADVENTURE SAFARI’S / RATEL TRAVEL / RATEL SAFARIS / HANNELIE SCHUTTE & JUAN CRONJE is not one of them. At some stage they might have been reputable operators but I don’t believe that this is the case anymore.

Ratel Safari Adventured are scam artists. Two tour groups in a row scammed. You are warned

Tour operators did not pitch up or made any bookings. We could not get hold of them at all and lost all our money.