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
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best experience
Amazing!!! This company is dedicated to their customers. They bent over backwards for my group and I to make sure we were all accommodated. The driver guide was knowledgeable about the areas we drove through, and they took excellent care of us! they provide amazing package and prices, that give you the BEST of Kenya! Thanks so much!!
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organized trip
I would like to thank my kenyan friend to introduce me with this company.
I found victor as very professional person in karibu safaris.
Our driver also made good efforts to search animals on our game drive.
The trip to masai mara was perfectly organized.
Their rates are also competitive. So if you are looking for a reliable local tour company,they are the solution of your trip.
Excellent Guides and Porters
We had a great and successful hiking with the Karibu Safaris Climbing Mt kenya. Professional and well prepared team. We want to plan safari again next year, we will do it with them.
Email Tania Paschen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
3 day safari that really only added up to 1 day - promised refund never came!
I booked a 3 day safari to Amboseli with Karibu Safaris. I was told I would be joining a group on their way through from the Masaai Mara and be picked up at 12.00 midday. I was not picked up until 3.30, meaning that the game drive scheduled for that afternoon did not happen as we were travelling til 9.00 that night, and eating dinner almost at 10.00. I was also promised free water and a visit to a Massai village - neither happened. The group I joined had been told they would all get a window seat in the van - my arrival meant that there were 3 in a row on our seat, and we couldn't all stand up at once to do the game viewing when we finally got out into the park for a day. It was a good day, very average lunch, accommodation VERY basic, stinking toilets, 20 mins to get hot water etc The next day after a 2 hour game drive we had to drive to the Kenya / Tanzania border to drop off some of the group. This meant me sitting in the van for 2 hours in various carparks waiting for them to be sorted over the border. Not my problem, not what I paid for. So 3 days was two days driving and the equivalent of 1 day game viewing. Arrived back into Nairobi at 2.00pm - nothing like a full day there either. I asked for a refund, was told that I would be given $50 refund, I said $60 given the free water had not eventuated either, and so was told I would get $60. I sent account details, was told that it had gone to accounts, and now - typically - am not getting any replies to my enquiries. The trip was also run by Bigtime safaris, a totally different company I was just thrown onto. I have been travelling through Africa for 15 years and this was the most disappointing trip - lied to, oversold, bored sitting waiting in carparks while others had their trip sorted out and I couldn't get mine sorted, and then to be promised in various emails a refund only to have that fall by the wayside too. DO NOT GO WITH KARIBU!
Reply from Karibu Safaris In Kenya
Posted on Jun 30, 2015Hi Tania,
Sorry about your experiance while in safari with us.
From the begining of the emails we have mentioned to you that we have a depature to amboseli for 2nights 3days that will begin by 1pm because the clients were coming from lake nakuru, on that day the clients had extended the game drive and there was a delay, we told you about it and picked you from your hotel and took you for lunch at the city center so that they can just pick you while they will be on transit, you mentioned that you have been in nairobi before several times and new the trafic around the city center, the driver got stuck ih the trafic jam and reached by 3pm you arrived amboseli at night and had dinner and overnight at Kimana tented camp where all the other guest stayed, we were not aware of the bad state toilets it could be better if you could have told the camp manager and he could have changed your room because we had called him after you wrote the email and he said there were other rooms with were no occupied and he could have changed.
The 3days safari group joining to amboseli is usualy $420 and since we knew you are going to miss the 1st game day game drive we changed you Usd350(park fees is usd80 × 2= $160) then we paid for accomodation, driver guide, transport and meals, so the price wasent high for the safari.
The tour included visit to the masai village(transfer to the village)and not the entrance fee to the village.
We had 4pax including you for the trip and bigtime safaris had other clients too and we decided to join them (but its a mistake that will never happen again).
About your refund kindly check with your bank because we have sent you the $60 as per the details you gave us.
From the experiance we had with the amboseli trip we have stoped selling amboseli to clients who will be joining the safari from nairobi to amboseli joining clients who will be coming from lake nakuru because of the delays and we will sell private safari only from nairobi to amboseli.
Next time you will be in kenya(i am told you said you come kenya for work each time)pass by our offices we will offer a complimenatry trip.just ask for the DIRECTOR.
We have also purnished the staff who was hundling you by not repsonding to your complains on time.
Sorry about that and it will not happen again, visit us when you come back again in kenya.
Regards
Msafiri
DIRECTOR
AR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Really really good.
Everything on this package booked with Robert of karibu safaris exceeded our expectations. The guide Tom was exceptional, He was very knowledgeable of the areas we visited and made the trip a pleasure. The accommodation for all three nights were at 4-stars lodge and the package original said 3-stars. We also had excellent Kenyan local/ traditional dinner (not included in the package ). There were numerous excursions that added to the experience. We priced other companies package and this was by far the best for the money. Highly recommended.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Miss sold safari package, asked for a refund and never got even an apology. Total rip off
1) Number of passengers in the cars, we have agreed for MAX 6 passenger and for several days there were 7 people in the car making the game drive very uncomfortable since there is no space for everybody to view from the roof.
2) Road Trip from Masai Mara until Nakuru
We and other 4 clients has to wait for 3 hours at the restaurant for a connecting van/safari group (coming from the same place!!!).
This delay meant that we were not able to have the evening game drive in Nakuru as per schedule
3) Road trip from Naroku until Amboseli
We passed to Nairobi to pick the chef and an other passenger instead than going directly to Amboseli, we found a lot of traffic to get in and out from Nairobi and this deviation made our travel longer of probably 2-3 hours and made our travel even longer, obviously we missed the evening game drive as advertised on the schedule
4) road trip from Amboseli until Arusha
the arrangement of this trip was just unbelieveble, we waited for 4 hours at the border with two other spanish tourist due to your arrangement (travel in a 15 pax) as we first had to get our visas (10am) wait for the shuttle (12am) and wait for another three hours for the other 15 people and one BUS!! to get their docs. As a result, we had lunch at 4pm and missed our afternoon game drive in Navaisha (arrived when it closed 6pm).
The result of this delay was the cancellation of the evening game drive to lake Manyara and the change of schedule for the rest of the trip in Tanzania
5) Lodges advertised, you advertised on your schedule Mara sidai camp and we stayed in a different one (Lenchada), without internet (as advertised and a very low quality) None of the lodges have internet in the contrary of what you told us.
6) Advertising a cross country package that you cannot offer, your company is cleraly not registred and authorized for doing business in Tanzania, and therefore you cannot sell a package without saying that it would be provided by a different company (Aruexpeditions).
Reply from Karibu Safaris In Kenya
Posted on Jul 31, 20151) Honestly the 7th person joined you while you were heading Amboseli(Tanya) she also wrote a review other wise in masai mara you were 3pax nakuru you were 6pax.
2) We are sorry for the delay,the delay was caused by another safari company car broke down and we could not watch there clients suffer and at the end of the day all us are promoting kenya as a travel destination you arrive lake nakuru late but we compensated for you game drive on the next day before departing to Amboseli.
3) From Masai mara to Amboseli you have to pass Nairobi no other option what cause the heavy traffic jam was the heavy commercial truck driver blocked the highway and were on a go slow because of police harassment.,but we take the blame for that.
4)For the border crossing after you borded the shuttle(the shuttle was not ours it a P.S.V-Rainbow shuttle) the immigration detained it for a while because they had fogot to carry the original log book thats where the delay was making you arrive lake manyara late and not sleep in the park but outside because the park get closed at by 6pm.
5)In the program we sent to you via email we never mentioned Mara Sidai but Lenchada check your emails well...just check in internet you will see mara sidai reviews and lenchada reviews and the facilities it self you can compare the difference,as a tour operator we visit there every weekend for inspection, I think you were corresponding with another operator that offered mara sidai making the booking with us that why you say we offered that..
6) The was a new law that no Kenyan tourist vehicle can enter Tanzania and no Tanzania tourist vehicle can enter kenya even at the airports so we have to work with agents this was to create equality and no company has permit to operate in both countries we have to use agents/partners.
Kindy also reply with where you stated in the email that you wanted refund...honestly its not good to paint a bad picture, we apologized and explained what happened on email correspondence with stelio( your travel companion)
Director
Msafiri
Email stelio | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
missold package
We have missold a Safari Package, we took the Kenya and Tanzania package as advertised on their website and we paid $1700 per person for 10 nights.
First of all Karibu Safari is not licensed to operate in Kenya, so basically they took us to the border, put us on a transfer and gave us to a different agency... very different from what we had paid for and we were expecting
Karibu Safari and Robert demonstrated their incompetence from the information stage until the organization stage of our trip.
More specifically we experienced the following issues:
1) they sold us a package with max 6 people in the van and for 4 days there were 7 people in the car
2) WIFI at lodges and hotels, Robert told us that there was WIFI at the lodges and hotel in Kenya but there was not WIFI in any of the lodges in Kenya & Tanzania, the quality of the lodges and the services offered was ridiculous, we spoke with other travelers and our lodges were the cheapest and the worst ones that you can find...
3) Waiting time, on the way from masai mara to lake nakuru, we have to wait 3 hours in the middle of the road for an other car to change passengers and due to this inconvenient we lost our night game drive to lake nakuru
4) Lake nakuru to Amboseli trip: they told us that was 4 hours driving when it took more than 10 hours due to the fact that we have to go to Nairobi to pick an other tourist and got stuck in the traffic
5)Passing from Kenya to Tanzania, we had to wait 4 hours, the transfer that Karibu arranged for us did not have valid documents to pass the border, as a result of it a group of 14 people spent 4 hours with 40 degrees waiting.... a taxy would have costed $30 and would have avoided our group of 4 people waiting 4 hours.
The result of this 4 hours waiting time was the shift of lake manyara and the cancellation of our night at ngorongoro camp, again this is not what we have paid for and with a little bit of care and attention should have been avoided, we were not paying the price for a budget safari and there are not excuses for this lack of organization, an agency who arrange a crossborder transfer with a car who has not documents should be closed straight away....
6) We were in the group with Tanya (you can read the other 1 star review) and we agree with everything that she said, Karibu staff was just rude and careless promising things that they were not willing to do just looking how to get few more dollars...
I really cannot believe that the 5 stars review are genuine, personally we had a terrible experience and the worst element was the discussion with Robert and the other Karibu staff who wanted to be right and cannot accept the evidence, after several discussion they apologized and they refused to offer a compensation for all the inconvenience that we suffered.
Robert and his staff think that the fact that they have not left us in the middle of the road is a success, they have no idea of what it means customer service and they think that tourists are just chicken to get money out of it, they cannot understand customer need and if they only wanted to, they could have offered a much better service making customers happy and giving value for the money spent
Reply from Karibu Safaris In Kenya
Posted on Jul 31, 2015Karibu Safaris is licensed operator in Kenya(Anybody in doubt we can email them the certificate offered to us my the ministry of tourism).
There was a recently new accord signed by both Kenya and Tanzania that no operator shall be allowed to operate in another country even there vehicles should not pass the border point hence work in partners as agents from both countries.
You and Diana(traveled as a couple) you have posted 2 similar reviews, so we have responded to her review page.
Sorry for the bad experience you had while on safari,as much as it has tainted a bad picture it has made us also change the way we operate group joining safari for the better and nothing like this will ever happen in the future.
DIRECTOR
Msafiri
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Safari, fantastic guide!
We were really satisfied with our tour with Karibu Safaris. From the prompt communication upfront to the pick up service from the bus station, even after the bus was an hour late, they were ready and waiting. The accomodation was great value as well and all meals ensured we were well fed. The Masai Mara add on was also good value.
About the tour itself, it was magnificent & extremely well run! Our guide John was amazing, he always kept us up to date with what was happening. He was flexible and his communication & team work with fellow drivers on the radio, whilst on safari was extremely impressive, as it ensured we saw every animal possible. If you have ever spent a decent amount of time in Africa you will know as a general rule service standards aren't high in western terms(although they are improving). However, at Karibu, I can safely say that their service was fantastic! And try to ensure you get John to be your guide as he is a very knowledgeable and hard working guide, one of the best we have had in all of the safaris we have done in Africa!
Awesome Safari
My friend and I traveled to Africa in july. We spent about two
weeks exploring Kenya, Tanzania, and Zanzibar with tours we booked through Karibu Safaris. Amazing experience, amazing trip, and the customer service was top notch --- always responsive, always informative, and just plain nice people who made the process extremely easy! We had no problems at all. No complaints at all about the trip or the booking experience through Karibu Safaris . We would DEFINITELY use them again!
Wonderful Kenya Safari Experience
We are an expatriate family living and working in Uganda.We were referred by a friend who had used this company. We booked a private tour just for the two of us to Samburu, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. We were given a reasonable deal and our designated driver guide went out of the way to make sure we were happy. The company also planned a surprise birthday gift at our lodge in Samburu. The entire safari was professionallly organised and executed. We recommend this company to any potential Kenya safari seeker.