My wife texted and called the day before our tour tom confirm. Rich, the owner, said we were all set for 8:30AM tour, which was the Buff tour. We arrived at 8:30AM and met what we thought was our guide. We jumped in the jeep and we were off. About 10 min in the driver gets a call saying he has the wrong group. We go back to the starting point only to find out Rich did not have a vehicle or driver for us. He got Barry, his mechanic, to come out to provide the tour. Barry arrived at 10AM, an hour and a half later than we scheduled. We had booked an early tour because we wanted to avoid the heat of the day. Subsequently we also had some other sightseeing planned for the afternoon, which we passed on because we were 2 hours later than we expected and it was very hot in the jeep as it’s an open air jeep. To make matters worse, the jeep is in very poor condition. The outside looks decent but the inside is horrible. Barry was professional, polite and really tried hard to help out. He appeared to be pretty knowledgeable. That is why I gave this a 2. I contacted Rich about our displeasure. He said he refunded us 20%, which I found out he did do. However, I said given all the issues including the very poor condition of the jeep that was insufficient. He said that was the jeep we rented and he appreciates my perspective. I should also note, we were under the impression that the jeep could go off road closer to the Buffalo. That is not the case. The only Jeep’s that can go on special trails are the ones run by Custer Park. This is just an FYI. Those are Buffalo Safari Jeep Tours. I would look for a more reputable company if I were going to book another tour.
Response from Host
Aug 2021
Hi John.
I'm very sorry we were late for your tour. Your tour information was entered into our booking calendar on the wrong date. We had your Jeep ready at the Keystone office but a guide was not scheduled. When I was informed about our error I asked Barry to drive and meet you for tour. I apologize for the late start and I refunded 20% of your payment in a effort to make amends.
Barry said he had a good time with your group and said you enjoyed your tour and that you saw a lot of wildlife and a big herd of buffalo. I'm disappointed to find out that was not the case.
To clarify a few things.
Barry - I'm not sure were you got your information about your guide . Barry is one of my part time mechanics and also part time guide. He has been trained for the Jeep Safari Tour and has been providing three or four tours a week for the last month.
Buff - The tour you booked was in our Jeep Wrangler "Buff". It is a Wrangler Unlimited and seats 5-6 adults. It's not as large as the new Jeep Gladiators (they seat up to 10 adults). I have not had any previous complaint or bad review about this Jeep. It's understandable that you might be disappointed . . . at first touring in a the bigger Gladiator and then switched to the smaller Wrangler you reserved.
Once again I apologize for the mix up with the date.
Be Well - Rich
For our future guests -
The Jeep Bison Safari from Open-Top-Tours is a 6 hour tour to all of Custer State Park. It includes the drive along Wildlife Loop (we also travel the Parks secondary gravel roads searching for the buffalo), State Game Lodge, Mt Coolidge Fire Lookout, Sylvan and Stockade Lakes, Needles Highway and Iron Mtn Road. Tour includes: fees, bottled water, snacks, picnic lunch and beer/wine on request.
Custer State Park Buffalo Jeep Safari is a very good tour and is popular. It is 1.5 hours long and travels the Wildlife Loop in search of buffalo and has access to some Jeep roads that other vehicles are prohibited. Tour includes: fees
Thanks - Rich