Melvin and Ann from our office during a game drive
Africa Marvel Tours
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Member Of:
- Kenya Association of Tour Operators
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $130 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
DE
Email Pia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari tour, good organisation!
We are very content with the organisation Africa Marvel Tours. While booking two lodges weren‘t available and Mercy immediately tried everything to find an alternative. The communication was very good and very helpful. The safari itself was awesome and breathtaking. We had great lodges, Taita Hills Resort & Spa, Kibo Safari Camp and the best one Severin Safari Camp. We had the best guide, called Ian, who knew everything about any animal. He showed us the best places and tried everything that we see every animal we want. He was very kind and friendly and everytime there for us. In addition he also looked after us. So we would highly recommend the organisation and especially the driver Ian.
CN
Email Jad | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and cost-effective.
The 5-day safari was an unforgettable experience of my life, and I highly recommend the company "Africa Marvel".
1. I strongly recommend my guide, Sam. Throughout the journey, he provided a very safe environment, which I greatly needed and am very thankful for. His driving skills were excellent, and he had a very accurate grasp of the road conditions. He was very professional about safaris, helping me spot many wild animals and explaining their behaviors to me. I saw herds of elephants at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro and adorable lion cubs nursing and playing. I am very grateful for Sam's guidance. During the picnic lunch on the second day of the Maasai Mara safari, he chose a great spot under the shade of a tree, allowing me to enjoy my lunch accompanied by my favorite giraffes.
2. I was very satisfied with the accommodations during the trip. Every day I woke up to the sound of birds. Each lodging had a well-maintained sanitation system, with hot showers available and mosquito nets over the beds to keep the mosquitoes away. My favorite was the "Oilepo Amboseli Safari Lodge", where I could see baboons and elephants coming to drink at the waterhole while dining. I could also lie in bed and see Mount Kilimanjaro (of course, this depends on good weather conditions). The yard had beautiful dead trees that were perfect for photography.
3. Although January and February are not the peak times for wildlife migration, there are more opportunities to see young animals, more availability in accommodations, and more reasonable prices.
In conclusion, I sincerely recommend "Africa Marvel" and strongly recommend Sam as a guide.
CN
Email Jason | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour operator is exceptionally professional and dedicated
I just had an amazing safari experience guided by a fantastic local guide Paul. They were incredibly thoughtful and attentive to our needs, making sure we were comfortable and had the best possible experience. The entire journey was unforgettable, filled with breathtaking sights and fascinating wildlife. I truly appreciate the guide’s dedication and expertise, which made this adventure even more special. I highly recommend this safari to anyone looking for an incredible and memorable experience!
Email Laura Tranfield | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Trip of a lifetime. I can not fault Africa Marvel Tours. From day one we were in contact with Perminus who made the booking extremely easy and was able to answer all our questions and even change the itinerary to suit our preferences. The safari itself was truely incredible, Jo our Kenyan safari guide went above and beyond for us, we can not thank him enough, same goes for Medy our Tanzanian safari guide, he even organised a surprise celebration for one of our birthdays. Both Jo and Medy were extremely experienced game drivers, and extremely dedicated in ensuring we had the best views and opportunities to see the animals.
All of the accomodation booked for the safari was above all our expectations. An absolutely amazing trip. Thank you to all involved
Email Gemma | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Not Recommended
Unfortunately I have to write this to warn other people as we had a bad experience with Africa Marvel Tours.
We went in August but it took several months to recoup some money from them and have only just got around to writing this report.
I had high hopes for this trip and spent almost a year planning the trip of a lifetime for my 40th birthday with my family. I had decided years earlier that I wanted to do an African safari in style for this milestone.
When I contacted Perminus, I was very specific with what I wanted and we went back and forth a lot fine tuning our itinerary (10 nights Kenya and Tanzania) and I spent a lot of time researching and selecting specific accommodation based on the effect each would have on the total cost of the trip. I wanted to stay in some more luxury lodges but mix it with some mid range lodges so that it wasn't as expensive in total.
Perminus was very helpful in the planning process and I felt confident that this was going to be the trip of the lifetime I'd dreamed of. We were able to secure all but 2 (out of 6) of the lodges I'd selected but we booked into good alternatives for those 2 that we couldn't get.
Between paying the deposit and the final balance our group had gone from 6 people in 3 rooms to 4 people in 3 rooms. We paid extra to have 2 people in their own rooms.
Fast forward to 3 days before the tour began. I contacted Perminus on arrival in Nairobi (our tour started from a hotel we had booked ourselves in Nairobi) to ask what time we would be collected on Day 1. At this point, he informed me that 3 of the lodges that we have confirmed had been changed. All 3 were the best, most luxurious properties that we had paid a hefty premium for. I was furious. The alternatives were significant downgrades from what we had been told was confirmed prior to paying our final balance.
On arrival at the first alternative property, the reception staff handed us 2 keys instead of 3. They informed us that the booking requested was only for 2 rooms. In fact, they had more rooms available but had just sold them to a family who just arrived and were still there in the reception at the same time as us. So this first lodge was not only quite a lot cheaper than the one we paid for, but we only got 2 rooms instead of 3. We were there for 2 nights.
The same thing happened at our third stop. Exact same story except a bigger downgrade. The poor hotel staff having to be the one to break the news to us because despite our driver confirming with Perminus that we had 3 rooms for the rest of the trip, he lied and said we did, when we didn't.
The 4th stop (the third changed lodge), we had our 3 rooms but this was the biggest downgrade of all. We'd booked a really nice luxury property in Serengeti with a pool and sweeping views over the plains. We were put into a perfectly fine tented camp with no view or pool and it was baking hot there when we were trying to rest in the afternoon. It was worth significantly less than what we'd paid for.
There was no effort to warn us about these things or provide an explanation. I had to call Perminus to demand an explanation during the trip. The explanation given was that his colleague had accidentally cancelled all our bookings instead of amending the number of people from 6 to 4 (this would have been several months earlier and still we weren't told). They were able to get back all the accommodations except the best ones.
Unfortunately I don't believe that is what happened. I believe that this was intentional to make a bigger profit or perhaps, to survive another few months if the company is in trouble. The reason I think this is because I have read reviews of other companies in Kenya doing this, so it seems to be common practice. In addition, a family who went the week after us with Africa Marvel had an even worse time. You can read their review on SafariBookings (Li, Sep 12 2024).
I had to chase and chase them to organise some kind of refund. It was incredibly frustrating. I did my own research and based on published rates, the DIFFERENCE in what we paid and what we got in terms of accommodation was about USD5600. But these safari companies access agent rates which can be 20-30% cheaper. Even so, that would mean that we overpaid by about USD4000. After 3 months of chasing, I finally received USD1600 back. Better than nothing, but we were totally and utterly ripped off and I would hate the same to happen to anyone else.
The places we visited and the lodges were all good and the wildlife was truly amazing. But this experience made what was meant to be the trip of a lifetime, an unpleasant experience where I was having to ignore this stuff in the moment in order to try an enjoy myself. I would be wary of any Kenyan tour company after this and would rather book my own accommodation and fly to each place than risk being ripped off again.
That said, both our drivers in Kenya (Joe) and Tanzania (Medy) were great and I feel sorry for them that they have to be the face of this unprofessional and dodgy company.
Book at your own risk. If you do, go for the cheaper accommodation as you will probably end up there anyway!
Reply from Africa Marvel Tours
Posted on Jan 16, 2025Dear Gemma,
Thank you for your feedback and review, we value our clients feedback.
In reference to your complain about the refund we had it sent within the period mentioned to you on email and we are glad that you acknowledged receipt of the same with thanks.
We looked into your communication with Perminus and It was true there was a lot of back and forth trying to decide on which lodges and at the same time fit your budget. At the time of booking we confirmed that you were informed of the unavailability of some of the lodges considering your booking was during the peak season. As a general practice the agreement was to have them wait listed and see if something will open up with time.
Initially your booking had a total of six people that is three double rooms. One month to the safari start date you reduced the number of people from six to four which meant we change to two double rooms. The last minute booking change affected the booking.
We tried our level best to place you in accommodation similar to the initial booking and only one camp we had to move you from luxury to midrange which we acknowledged there will be a refund for the difference in price. We credited your bank account with the price difference and you acknowledged receipt with thanks via email.
We appreciate that Joe and Medy were great guides during your safari.
Once more we are grateful for your feedback and will endeavor to continue on improving on our service delivery.
Email Kristi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical Experience
My partner and I did a four day, three night tour. Our guide Sammy did an exceptional job, keeping clear communication, always prompt, cautious and skilled driver/ navigator and informative host. He was always considerate of our particular interests and allowed us to have some beautiful and possibly somewhat rare experiences in the national parks. If you’re looking for an incredible experience, please book with Marvel and ask for Sammy.
PT
Email Paulo Maia | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good
Despite the mishap with the car breaking down when leaving the airport and needing to be replaced with another one, the trip went very well.
Driver/guide Samuel (Samy) was very pleasant and professional.
Without a doubt an excellent experience
(automatic translation from Portuguese)
Email Suzanne Holtz | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Right on time every as promised, very professional and nice.
Africa Marvel tours is a very adequate Safari Tours Company. They help swiftly, and can easily adapt if necessary. We were to be picked from two locations and joined in Tsavo East. The drivers, Lydia and Keith were really nice and cheerful. We enjoyed the stories of Keith during the safari, explaining the animals and birds, he has a lot of knowledge and is good company. Lydia brought us from Tsavo to Mombasa, a very joyful nature and safe driver. We were in excellent hands!
DE
Email Guillermo | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Awsome!
I am very pleased with Marvel Tours. They did an excellent job and gave us the opportunity to have one of my best experiences in Kenya. I highly recommend them. They are professional and very good at communicating. Especially Mercy who helped us and was always available.
Ronny, our safari guide was extremely open minded and made sure we had fun during our safari. He also showed us the best parts and I was also impressed by his in depth knowledge of the animals in Kenya. I would recommend him and would book with him again.
BE
Email Birgit | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience in Tsavo east & taita hills
We booked a 3 day tour going to Taita hills and Tsavo east. We chose this specific because we wanted to stay in the salt lick lodge for 1 night. This was a really good experience and we had the chance to spot a lot of elephants and other animals at the water pool. Our second night we spent in Tsavo east and also this was a very nice accomodations with a swimming pool and views on the national park. Rooms and food were great at both places.
The game drives itself were also really nice. We were able to spot lions, cheetahs, elephants, antilopes, gazelles, giraffes, zebra's, etc. Our guide Mike really tried his best to show us as many animals as possible. He also shared a lot of information with us about the animals, the parks and Kenya in general. It was a very good experience.
Be aware that Tsavo east is a very big park and there are a lot of areas that are not reachable by car so you need to be more lucky to be able to spot the animals from up close than in other places. But it's better for the animals this way and the nature and views in this park are really beautiful.
I would definitely recommend this trip.
