The team
Karibu Safaris In Kenya
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 1986)
- Member Of:
- KATO, Tourism Regulatory Authority & Eco Toursm Kenya
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Mid-range & luxury)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $80 to $280 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
9 days safari
We booked last minute a 9 days safari tour. Communications with Sandra were fine and we could find an agreement on pricing. Unfortunately there weren’t any groups interested in the same itinerary and we needed a private one.
Itinerary was the one we propoused but maybe we missed some suggestions and more clarity.
Regarding the driver-guide, Freddy did a good job in general: he always drived in a secure way during transfers. On the other hand, he was often in the telephone and we missed some briefing before the safaris and some further informations.
Overall it was a nice experience and we reccomend Karibu safaris in Kenia!
US
Email Michael Halberstam | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari!
Guides: Kevin and Raymond were terrific. They both have a wonderful and frequently uncanny knack for locating and finding significant animal sightings. They were diligent, friendly, professional, responsive to questions and concerns and they looked after us beautifully. Furthermore, they both went out of their way to make sure that we had an A+++ experience. Raymond was our driver for most of the Safari and he clearly has a gift for sensing when the major animals are going to be out in the park and where to find them. For instance, we got a spectacularly close up and rare view of two black Rhino's in Lake Nakuru because of his virtuosic tracking and driving skills. Kevin was so agreeable, particularly on our last morning in Amboseli, to take one final game drive and try and catch a sight of Mount Kilimanjaro which had decided to come out from behind the clouds that morning. Morris was splendidly supportive too!
Transportation: We visited four parks, Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Amboseli. The first van we were in had clearly been run into the ground by its driver. The seats were uncomfortable and the suspension was shot. I was worried that this was going to be our transport for the whole Safari. However, when we reached Masai Mara, we traded that van for a better vehicle and the difference was night and day. We spent the rest of the Safari in much more comfort. It's important to have a vehicle with good suspension when traversing some of the bumpier roads and some of the driving distances are quite far - comfortable seats are very important.
Hotels: The first hotel JAMBO MARA SAFARI LODGE was quite beautiful, the grounds were gorgeously landscaped and the room was comfortable, clean, fresh and modern looking. The staff were all lovely - particularly the dining room staff who were superb. I wish I could say the same about the food. It was, alas, no where near as good as the rest of the hotel. I think it would be worth their investing in an upgrade. I didn't go on a Safari for the food but this was truly poor. This is a shame given how attractive and well looked after everything else was in the hotel. Even the lunch was terrible. The WATERBUCK HOTEL was one of the better places to stay in Lake Nakuru but I did have to pay a little bit more to upgrade to a more comfortable room with a window and a little more space. It is definitely a venue that has seen better days but overall it was fine for the one night. The unexpected and wonderful surprise was the food which was just superb. I had some of the best food I have eaten in Kenya at the WATERBUCK, both at dinner and breakfast. It was beautifully prepared and nicely presented and very authentic. As with my entire stay in Kenya, the people working at the hotel were amazing. My last hotel, AA AMBOSELI LODGE, was somewhere between the two hotels. My rooms was basically a spacious, clean and comfortable tent with a more permanent attachment on one end for the bathroom. Food was good and the grounds were lovely although bizarrely, the most important sight in the camp, Mount Kilimanjaro, is largely obscured from almost every location. Eventually I found a little seating area by the main meeting room with an uncluttered view. (The grumpy and inexplicably annoyed receptionist was very unhelpful in this area - literally the only unpleasant employee I met on my entire two week trip to Kenya.)
I have rated the Safari highly because I think I got truly incrediblea value for my money. I paid for a midrange Safari and joined a group tour which kept the price affordable. This covered 6 days and five nights, all drives, all transportation, all accommodation and all meals. I saw all of the big five along with many other wonderful animal sightings. I experienced the trip of a lifetime, enjoyed the company of the people I met on the Safari who were lovely, had a 100% good experience with the staff. I am filled now with memories that will last a lifetime and am completely in love with Kenya as a country. It was the perfect balance the week I spent in Nairobi working before the Safari. I would do it again in a heartbeat.
A couple of notes if you are planning a safari: Amboseli is worth visiting for the elephants and the possible sightings of Mount Kilimanjaro. The mountain however does not always come out to play, and as with most volcanoes of this scale, is not always visible. We were very lucky however and Kevin was very accommodating in ensuring that I was able to get some good sightings early in the morning and in the evening. It is worth nothing however that the park has recently been ravaged by drought. Although there are still many elephants there, a quarter of them have died and most of the wildebeest have also died. This is due to climate change. I would go to the park again in a heartbeat but you should be prepared. Lake Nakuru was a long drive and one of the great pleasures of the park is seeing the millions of flamingos. Unfortunately, most of them had migrated by the time we got there and although Raymond salvaged the trip with a rare black rhino sighting, the rest of the park didn't have much to offer and it was a long drive to get there. Lake Nakuru was lovely and we took an excellent boat ride and had a close encounter with a family of hippos which was wonderful but I'm not sure it was with the time it took to get there. (It should also be noted that both lakes are heavily polluted and experiencing significant environmental damage as a result.) Unless you are able to see the flamingos - which are amazing, I would skip it.
AE
Email Amy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Raymond and Kevin were like animal whisperer and F1 drivers in one! Amazzzinggg
Did the 5 day tour and honestly can’t believe how much we did and saw. We felt safe and happy the whole time.
Excellent value for money - in fact, we kept saying we couldn’t believe what was included. Accommodation, food and drives. Raymond and Kevin were patient and we even made time for a lovely lunch with them on the last day.
Highly recommend!
NL
Email Gina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect
Raymond and Kevin were the best tour guides, we saw so many animals, they knew the best places to go at. Felt safe in the car with them driving. They made sure we had enough water, knew a lot about the surrounding and animals. The places we stayed at were nice as well! Especially the glamping near masaai mara was amazing and the people there were so nice!
GR
Email Marina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly and well organised safari! We had best time ever!
Safari tour was excellent! Our driver Aruni was friendly and very well prepared for everything during the trip! Very nice and kind guide! We were on time for our program despite the traffic in the roads! The experience was great and we would like to come back to enjoy again the Karibu safari tour!
GR
Email Eliza G | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flawless experience, knowledgeable guide
We had an awesome time in our safari experience. Aroni our guide was knowledgeable, smart, easygoing and helped us get the full Masai Mara experience. We really really enjoyed and we most definitely recommend Karibu and especially Aroni and try to visit again in the future!
US
Email Jimmy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Efficient
Pros: Overall great experience. Saw all the animals on the bucket list. Our guide was great about following any leads from other drivers to make sure we saw the big 5 and more. He was responsive to when we wanted to stop and was genuinely friendly and kind.
Cons: You are on a trip with multiple people on different itineraries, so there is some extra travel between safaris and differing accommodations, which takes up some extra travel time. Also because of this, there is some group decisions that need to be made that may compromise what you want to do. We were also never offered the boat trip the at was supposedly available on my itinerary because others had it scheduled on a different day, which was frustrating. Additionally, this trip is in a van vs jeep/Range Rover so there are limits as to speed and locations where you can drive. It did not seem to affect the total animals we saw but luck may have been on our side.
Overall the trip was awesome, but if you want full control of your itinerary, there may be better options.
JP
Email TAKA | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Give you an unforgettable tour of a lifetime
If you are looking for a safari tour, Karibu Safaris is recommended. Mr. Castro who was our tour operator was very entertaining. They spent hours trying to show us as many rare moments of animals as possible. And the driving technique was excellent, showing the animal at the closest and best point of any car. Thank you Castro. The inn run by the Maasai tribe was also very enjoyable. The tent was comfortable and the conversation with the Maasai tribe was very humorous and fun. It was the most memorable and fun tour of my life.
JP
Email Y&H | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
What an epic 3-day safari tour with budget tented camp!
Highly recommend Karibu Safaris as Collins (our guide/driver) is top-notch -having lots of knowledge, communication skills, and driving skills.
A group of seven had an incredible time seeing lots of wildlife: 4 out of Big 5 (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo), giraffe, cheetah, wildebeest, topi, zebra, impala, gazelle, hippos and many more even not in the high season at the end of November.
We love Masai Mara, Kenya, and the people. Asante sana!
PL
Email JK | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable experience
Rooney is the best guide and driver. Our safari was amazing!