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
Email Arindam | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Absolutely recommended for Budget travellers
Raymond , our driver and guide was very helpful, friendly and accommodative. They mentioned in the website and over email that they will arrange accommodation in Enchoro Wildlife Camp, which was a false notification. Though the camp which they made us stay was equally good in terms of safety and the host staffs. In terms of the accommodation arrangements, tents were descent, food was good and staff was very friendly.
In terms of the whole trip , the game drives were very well arranged by Raymond. He was trying his best for the travellers to take plenty of photographs or view with binoculars. The lady who was cordinating in Kenya was also professional and catered to things like arranging cabs to the airport etc.
*If you are looking for a jungle like stay in a tent with the feel of the jungle around local people, then go for it. But if your needs prioritise luxury accommodation and resort type stay, this is not for you.*
SE
Email Alice | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour guide is really bad
We did not have a good experience with Karibu Safaris In Kenya since our tour guide Edward was really bad and not engaged at all. He did not communicate anything to us about anything during the transportation. And during the safari he did not tell us anything about any animal or anything. We had to find all the animals ourselves and when we asked him to stop so that we could take photos of the animals we noticed he got annoyed all the time. We expected more from a guide, basically he was just a driver who could not communicate and he slept in the car every chance he got, not professional at all.
DE
Email Nikolai | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great
Our safari tour in the various national parks was great. The guides were great, they listened to us and made sure we had an unforgettable experience. We were a little surprised that we were in a group with people who had booked other tours, so we had to change groups once, but that wasn't a problem. Apart from one thing, the organization worked very well. We stated that we wanted to be dropped off at the border with Tanzania after the tour. Our second guide didn't know anything about this, so it had to be organized at short notice, but it worked out. Robert always responded reliably.
IN
Email Sujit DUTTA | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
The entire tour was well coordinated...our guide Paul was awesome and took tremendous care for our well being and ensuring we are able to view the wild life in its entirety.....a wonderful person truly --- trust worthy and patient with our incessant curiosity.... great safari we had
US
Email Immanuel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
AMAZING
Karibu provided a thrilling safari experience with an energetic and kind tour guide and driver (all in one person!). T
However there is only one note : during our sixth day to Amboseli, we arrived late and supposedly to stay in one camp, in Nyati camp. However , it was full and we had to be escorted to 30 minutes drive place , a building where we stay with societies living nearby. It was dissapointing because we did not know about the full capacity of the camp and no communication made byKaribu to escort us to different place.
Another one is the lunch place during the third and fourth day in Naivasha and Nakuru. We went there for three times and the menu were all the same. It could be changed to other menu supposedly.
But overall, other than that, everything is excellent.
HU
Email Timi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This tour operatorexceeded all expectations, providing exceptional service
I recently had the pleasure of touring with Collins, who served as both our guide and driver, and I cannot speak highly enough of the experience. From the very beginning, Collins stood out with his professionalism, warmth, and deep knowledge of the area.
As a driver, Collins was outstanding. We always felt safe and comfortable, even on the more challenging roads. His driving was smooth, and he was punctual, ensuring that we arrived on time to all of our destinations without ever feeling
I highly recommend Collins to anyone looking for a memorable and seamless tour experience. He truly made our trip unforgettable!
HU
Email Nándi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Collin was very friendly and professional.
The tour was excellently organised. Our guide (Collins) was very professional, he always knew what to do and paid attention to our requests. He shared a lot of information about everything we asked. The car was always clean and he was always on time. I would gladly recommemd this tour to anybody.
CZ
Email Jakub | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience when climbing Mt. Kenya
Everything was flawless! They picked me up at a hotel, took to the office and then we headed to Mount Kenya NP. We went Sirimon route both directions. Kelvin was a great guide, helped me with everything I needed, chief Martin cooked delicious meals and we made it to the peak to see the sunrise at Point Lenana. I can not but recommend these guys, 10 out of 10.
Email Patience Charles | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The tour operator was exceptionally professional and extremely knowledgeable of the environment.
I loved there efficiencies in communication, service, value for the money.
IN
Email Surbhi Sud | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unprofessional and unreliable
I don't know if the 2000+ positive reviews for Karibu we saw on safaribookings.com were fake or were they just related to mt Kenya climbing. I wouldn't recommend our 7 day safari experience to anyone.
When I was booking the safari, I was a bit hesitant since their package is cheaper than most other operators and therefore I was expecting barebone properties and campsites. Surprisingly, the accommodations were mostly decent and the cost cutting was done at the expense of the safari experience which was really unfortunate.
Robert was quite good with communications before the safari started, afterwards he stopped responding to messages or calls. So no matter what the issue is, if the safari is not happening as per the itinerary, or if the hotel is different than what was specified as part of the quotation, or there's some other issue, don't expect Robert to be available. Instead you are stuck with Edward, the guide + driver who was a moody individual with moments of courteousness sandwiched between rude and abrasive behaviour.
The itinerary promised 1 full day safari and 2 half day safaris at Masai Mara. On the first day of the trip, we reached Masai mara campsite and faced 2 separate issues - first that the evening safari is not going to happen and that the campsite was different (+inferior) than what was promised (I had confirmed the names of the properties that very morning at their office in Nairobi and still they preferred to not disclose the truth). We let go of the campsite issue and focused on the promised evening game drive. Robert obviously did not answer my calls and Edward in a passive aggressive manner threatened to organize a half-assed safari the next day if I continued to find discrepancies in the written itinerary and what was happening in reality. When I pressed further he called Robert, who answered his call(!) and said that the itinerary that I booked does not exist anymore (they took the webpage down from Safari Bookings that very instant)....luckily I had taken screenshots of the itinerary to share with my mates so they had to oblige. But not really in a way that counts. We did do one full day game drive as promised + 1 evening drive near the entry gate that was around 30 minutes + on the 3rd morning of the trip, we drove in from one gate and exited from another gate, a 40 minute ride that doesn't really count as a half day game drive. During the game drives, Edward mostly drove around quietly, sharing very little insight into the national parks or wildlife. If you pointed towards any animal and asked he would accurately name it. Compared to other game drive experiences that I've had, Edward was more like a driver than a safari guide. To be fair though, Karibu arranged a very comfortable 4x4 Land cruiser for us and Edward was a highly skilled driver (the 5 of us slept through bad roads and highways alike).
On the third morning of the trip, we reached the vehicle before our driver and since he was still having breakfast, I started loading everybody's rucksacks in the back of the vehicle. I was half way done when Edward showed up. He looked at me for a minute as a I stood there waiting for him to take over. Instead he told me to hurry and finish the job. I dont mind putting my bags in the car and dont really expect anyone to do it for me but I didn't see any reason why I should load rucksacks of the other group members. I dont see the point in treating your clients like that either, maybe he just got a kick out of it.
The quotation included drinking water but in reality that meant only 5.5 litres per person through 7 days so keep that in mind when choosing your operator.
Regardless of whether you go with Karibu or someone else, if you're keen on making the most out of your itinerary, I would recommend the following -
1. Start with Amboseli or Nakuru instead of Masai Mara
2. Skip Hells Gate if you are short on time. If you're going there for the lava wall, that section is inaccessible to tourists now.
3. Skip Naivasha unless you are into birdwatching. And if you are, spend some time near the lake and find a legit boat tour. The current version of the boat ride is a tourist trap where you'll see 1-2 hippos in the water (that was pretty cool) otherwise it'll be an hour long uneventful boat ride with 3-4 bird sightings that are anyway commonly seen in other parks. Not really worth $30 (additional 30$ to step foot on the island)
4. One full day safari in Amboseli is probably going to be enough. Half day in Nakuru is sufficient. Try to spend some extra time and money for Masai Mara. On day one, let the guide hurriedly take you across the park to tick off all the major sightings. On day 2, you go with a plan to focus on only the things that you missed out on day 1. Finish the itinerary with 2 days in Masai Mara so that you end on a high note.
Property Review -
1. Mara Enkajiang - Clean tents but dirty toilets. Bad food. This was given to us instead of Enchoro Wildlife Camp (highly reviewed). If any tent turned on their bathing shower the whole row of tents would lose electricity till a staff member repaired the fuse. This happened 5+ times in one night.
2. Lanet Matfam - Resort property with a nice swimming pool. Best food but very small and weirdly constructed rooms.
3. Leisure Apex - Overall best - new property, clean rooms, good food, no nonsense motel.
4. Nyati Safari Camp - Clean and spacious tents, well maintained, good food. This was given to us instead of Manjaro Campsite but we were happy either way.
