US
Email Kristin | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I consider Kenya the premier safari destination.
We were in Kenya during the rainy season and after some torrential rains caused huge mud slides. The roads were definitely muddy and rutted and some were closed altogether, but this didn't affect our enjoyment at all. The parks were exceptional, the lodges and food were first class and we had an experienced guide and driver that was a pleasure to be with every day. One of the highlights of our tour was Amboseli. We saw huge herds of elephants and were treated to a spectacular view of Mt. Kilimanjaro on our last morning. Kenya has definitely grown and modernized since my last safari there 17 years ago, but it was still thrilling to revisit.
TR
Email Sencer Teksoy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable
Wheather was nice, it was not hot and There were no mosquitos in june. Good was ok, camping food. Staff is extremely helpful and friendly.
US
Email Doug Hiser | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
BIG FIVE
My second trip to Kenya and I have always found the people working on Safari to be excellent guides and respectful, helpful people. I do not like visiting the villages because pressure is always too much-in fact one of the guests almost caused a fight with a warrior over not buying anything. I like the camps where wildlife is abundant in and around the camps. Some camps are too sterile --meaning they are fenced and nothing can get in, no monkeys, no antelopes...My favorite camp so far of the 7 we have stayed would still be Samburu Intrepids in 2012. That camp will always be what Africa means to me. The Masai Mara was not as many animals as the Serengeti or the Crater -sometimes we would spend hours upon hours just driving the sea of grass encountering nothing. Amboseli was the best for elephants and i encountered some of the largest elephants i have ever seen there. my favorite 2018 camp was Lake Naivasha Sopa-with zebras waterbuck hippos and giraffes and also vervet and colobus monkeys all on the lodge property.
US
Email Dan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded Expectations
My wife and I traveled from the end of June into early July. This was our first trip to Africa and it exceeded all expectations. It will not be our last trip.
Transtrek made booking painless. Daniel was responsive, offered suggestions without being pushy, and handled everything quickly. Our main driver and guide, Peter, was pleasant, knowledgeable, and always helpful. We hope to return to Kenya and will be contacting Transtrek when we do.
Our itinerary included Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, the Masai Mara National Reserve, and the Naboisho Conservancy. While the Mara and Naboisho were undoubtedly the highlights of the trip, the two lake parks afforded us the opportunity to see very different environments and some species not present in the Mara region. Naivasha is home to scores of bird species, which can be viewed quite closely during guided boat trips. Time in Nakuru allowed us to see both white and black rhinos. The sweeping, wildlife strewn, vistas of the Masai Mara were captivating. We even witnessed a leopard stalking a small group of Thomson's gazelle. The Naboisho Conservancy lacks the wide open spaces of the Mara but more than makes up for it with high wildlife density (notably lions) and the increased privacy found in the conservancies. Private conservancies also allow night drives and Bush walks, experiences not to be found in national parks and reserves.
Concerning our accommodations: we stayed in Sopa properties at Nakuru and Naivasha and Basecamp Explorer properties in the Mara and Naboisho. I would not hesitate to return to any of them. However, the Basecamp were a cut above, Eagle View in particular. Both Sopa properties were comfortable, had pleasant staff, and the food, served in a buffet, ranged from fine to good. The variety was good. Basecamp Explorer Masai Mara and Basecamp Explorer Eagle View are permanent tented eco camps with a strong Bush feeling. Masai Mara (12 tents) sits just over the Talek River from the reserve and Eagle View (9 tents) is arrayed along a ridge line within Naboisho. Both serve excellent meals created by in house chefs. Benson's food at Eagle View made sufficient impression for me to purchase his cook book. This is not something I typically do.
US
Email Angela Schelp | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our guide was excellent and we saw more wildlife than we ever expected. The trip was unforgettable.
The wildlife exceeded our expectations. We saw lions, cheetahs, leopards, elephants, hippos, and much more. The scenery was breathtaking, especially the expansive park. The weather was nice, a little cold in the morning, but never unbearable. Also never got too hot while we were there. The accommodations were very nice, the room was spacious and the bed was comfortable. Also enjoyed the warm shower and access to Wifi. The food was pretty decent, with plenty of options, but is a bit repetitive after several meals there. The service at meals was excellent. The vehicle was excellent for seeing wildlife, although it was quite bumpy at times, especially on the way to the park. I believe it was a Toyota land cruiser. Our guide, Derek, was extremely nice and knowledgeable. He seemed to know the park very well and always seemed to find the action and wildlife in the park.
DE
Email www.shankyshow.com | 20-35 years of age
Everything was beyond our expectations from what we originally imagined before going there.
We saw the big 5!
Even after 20+ countries, Kenya was by far one of the most beautiful places I have been to as long as we were not in the city limits of Nairobi which I can definitely go without. Kenyan people were super nice and super sweet which I can't say about majority of the 20+ countries I have been to.
HK
Email Jasmine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
We are lucky to see the big 5 in Kenya. The weather is so nice that we could take beautiful pictures. The accommodation and food are nice. Thanks BigMac for their well organized trip. My guide Ben is an experienced and great guide.
An amazing experience
We had four days safari. One day in Lake Nakuru, and three days in Maasai Mara.
It totally lived up to our expectations. Amazing wildlife, we got to see the big five, and many more animals.
Our guide even spotted a female leopard with two cubs on our last day, and managed to get really close to them, that was amazing.
We would really recommend Features Africa. They helped us planning our tour, and kept in touch all the way.
BR
Email Jorge Reis | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very good.
Wonderful wildlife. Accommodations, food and transportation were very good.
CN
Email Linda Chen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fabulous trip to Kenya
The safari was great, thanks to "Right Choice Tours and safaris" and our guide Jacob.
We took 3 nights in Masai Mara, 1 night in Lake Bogoria, and 2 nights in Amboseli.
Masai Mara was the best part. Jacob led us to the leopard, cheetah, elephant, and lion in just one morning! Everyone was saying that we were so lucky to see the leopard as it was quite rare nowadays. He was trying to lead us to the rhino in that particular afternoon but got stuck in the mud (unfortunately we were travelling in minivan), twice, which caused us altogether 10 hours staying in the car. The rescue was slow and inefficient. We finally reached our lodge around 2:50 am. And we finally lost our chance to see any rhino. But we were trying to be not so disappointed, afterall we observed any other animals, and they deserved our appreciation. Pity that we didn't see the great migration; the local people said it would most probably happen around late August this year.
We chose Lake Bogoria instead of Nakuru for the flamingo, but there weren't many in this time of year, much less than that in Amboseli. And as we missed Nakuru, we also missed the opportunity to see rhinos, so it was a pity for us for this Kenya trip.
There weren't as many animal species in Amboseli as that in Masai Mara, but we took many wonderful pictures of elephants with snow-covered-Kilimanjaro. And there were more birds, beautiful.
Overall, it was really a great experience. Many thanks to George, the owner of Right Choice Tours and safaris, who gave us satisfying service. And many thanks to Jacob, our guide, again, for the best service and accompany. Next time we’ll try to ask for Jacob’s advice before we go there, in order to have a better arrangement of the tour, and to get to the right place in their best season.
