Esther Ndegwa - Travel Consultant
Kenya Budget Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2005)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $120 to $400 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IT
Email Francesca | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya Budget Safari, great value for money
I really enjoyed my week travelling with Kenya Budget Safari.
Accomodations were always good (more tent-like lodges will be even better!), we had no problem with food or water and everything worked out as planned
Our driver Patrick was the best, thank to his skills we saw everything you could wish to see: all the Big 5 (several times), lots of birds and hundreds of herbivores.
He knows a lot about animals and plants you meet during the safari, he's really kind, nice and accomodating to our needs.
I have just one suggestion, for both Nakuru and Naivasha accomodation: I know the arrival time at destination could change according to the traffic, but it will be nicer for the hotels to be closer to the city center. That will make easier to visit of the city if the van reaches the destination hours before the next planned activity. (FYI, we managed to visit both Nakuru and Naivasha thanks to Patrick anyway)
For all the rest, you're doing great, guys!
I'd totally reccomend to use this agency for your safari.
US
Email Fernando and Katia | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable Experience
Our first impression of booking with Budget Safari was one of ease. We looked at various competing safari services, email a few and got back responses between 1-10 days. Budget Safaris was almost immediate and with the perfect customer service you expect when you are about to spend a decent amount of money on vacation. Esther personally handled all the communication and asked questions regarding our expectation of how we wanted to experience the safari. We shared with her the options we considered, 1) group safari 2) Semi Private and 3) Private Safari. We also were looking at 7-8 full days in the bush, and most other companies that we entertained only had fix dates of scheduled departures. After a series of emails, we agreed on our experience, Private Safari for two, detailed itinerary with names of the lodges we would stay and cost.
Upon our arrival into Kenya, Henry our driver, met us at the terminal in our safari vehicle, preceded to meet Esther, and we headed out to our first lodge. Upon meeting Esther, she suggested a couple last minute deals and upgrades to our lodges based on availability, which given the extra cost of 200 dollars, we considered it a bargain for the entirety of our stay in Kenya.
In terms of our Driver Henry, there are not enough nice words to describe the added experience his conversations gave our Safari. He shared his experiences regarding the Safari, Animal Behavior, Photography, Culture, Masai Tribes, etc… each hour we had was an experience in itself. During our game drives, he accommodated our schedule to depart a little earlier or a bit later depending on weather, our scheduled meals and animal sightings in the area. I would recommend him and would gladly repeat the experience with him.
The lodges were first class, as mentioned above, we did a small upgrade and got better amenities, great lodges, and all you can eat buffets that are shy of a nice restaurant in any big US city, Lots of variety, including local food, Indian, Chinese and American.
Overall, I would rate this and 11 out of 10 if I could. Esther and her team made this an unforgettable experience for my wife and I.
Thanks again.
Email Caitlin McKay | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Masai Mara, Nakuru, and Amboseli
Before booking I many great reviews, so i was fairly certain that this was going to be great safari. Even worth these expectations, I was 100% blown away by so many aspects: firstly Esther was so quick with her responses and amazingly helpful with all of my million emails!; the accommodation was a much higher standard than expected - especially love the Masai Mara camp; food was delicious; tour van - everyone got a window seat; and omg... Patrick! I absolutely love him, he is funny, personable, extremely helpful, eagle-eyed spotting animals, one hell of a good driver, and so incredibly knowledgeable about everything safari! I honestly could not have gotten a better guide!; most of all... as a female traveling by herself, I felt incredibly safe.
This is my first stop of many affixed countries to visit this holiday... future guides have a lot to live up to!
Thank you!
TW
Email Huang | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice people, great service
I've book a 11-day Kenya Tanzania safari trip with Kenya Budget Safaris.
The consultant who I contacted with is Esther. She was very helpful and nice.
I was travel alone and I've chosen to join group tour.
In the 11 days I've traveled with three groups. But this is okay, they arranged well.
And the travel agency in Tanzania is World Tours Safari.
Their service was also good. The foods are fantastic, and of course I've seen many animals (Big 5).
Next time if I have chance to travel in East Africa again, I'll choose these two company again.
US
Email Matt | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nairobi National Park
After emailing the company last-minute, I got a prompt response on a Friday night from Esther. After accommodating a number of requests and questions I had, she set me up with Judge, an *outstanding* driver/tour guide who joined her to pick me up from my hotel, took me on safari, then to Carnivore, and finally to the airport to head out.
I cannot imagine a more seamless experience. From the pickup to the various animals on the safari to the meats of Carnivore to the final drop off at the airport, I felt like this crew really took great care of me.
I would highly recommend the package, and would also personally recommend that you get out as early as possible to see the animals. I left at 7am from my hotel and was lucky enough to catch several white rhinos and a couple of lions munching on a zebra before the rain came down around noontime. The animals were certainly more active while we were driving around, and only slowed down when we started leaving for lunch. Perfect timing.
US
Email Elise | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari with 2 young children - easy planning, great service and amazing trip
We had a fantastic experience with Kenya Budget Safaris and would recommend them to anyone looking to book an affordable safari. We spent 3 nights at the Sopa Lodge in the Masi and then one night just outside of Lake Nakuru. Planning the safari was easy - Esther was always available by email and then by phone once we were in country. She responded to all of our questions and provided all the details we asked for. She helped us compare costs and benefits of camping v. lodge safari and made the recommendation that we pay extra for a "private" (i.e., just our family) safari, which was fantastic advice. Last minute changes were easy, and we felt great about the price we paid and the services we received.
Because we were traveling with our 7 and 9 year old it made a huge difference to have our own vehicle, make stops when we wanted, leave and return from game drives when we wanted, etc. Our driver, David, was a father himself and struck the perfect balance between kind, helpful, full of information and not intrusive.
I recommend Kanya Budget Safari without reservation!
BR
Email Adair Zanatto Jr | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
After a LOT of research we found the perfect agent for our safari.
Trying to decide which budget safari to choose was not and easy task. There are so many options and it is hard to find in the Internet references to them all, that is why we hope that our review helps other travelers to make their decision in which company to choose . There are thousands of options and for us the best thing to do was to go personally visit the offices of different companies to help us on the decision. We exchanged emails with at least 15 companies and pre selected 6 budget safari companies to talk face to face. Kenya Budget Safari was not the company with most reviews by far but I must say that Esther was surely the best in customer relations. She told us step by step how things should happen, she was very sweet and helpful and we felt really comfortable dealing with her. They delivered exactly what was promised and beyond.
Me and my wife surely recommend Esther services and we can say that we had one of the most amazing experiences on our 2 year travel around the world. Thank you Esther, thank you Kenya Budget Safaris.
AE
Email Tasso Magalhaes | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari!!!
The safari was amazing from start to end. Esther (Kenya Budget Safaris Travel Consultant) was very kind and attentive all the time. She provided with detailed information and got us a very good deal for the hot air balloon safari. The driver/guide (Robinson) was very professional, kind and responsible. In addition, he was extremely knowledgeable about the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru parks. To summarize, my wife and I had a lot of fun and an amazing time. We are looking forward to our next visit to Kenya.
Email Stephen Gormley | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Solo Irish Man into Africa...
The safari was booked last minute and I mean last minute, I arranged with Budget Safari tour rep at 8:30 am and jumped on the safari vehicle at 8:45am and off we went!
I didn't know what to expect at all.It was the most amazing trip I've been on so far.
The driver John was an absolute gentleman and should be given an award for the driving and his vast knowledge of the animals and the vegetation in the Masai Marra.
The people on the tour couldn't off been more friendly, a pleasure.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Budget Safari's to anyone at all.
Quote of the trip "Africa wins again"
Stephen
Email Steph & Dean | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great budget option
Of course it's always daunting arranging a safari from your home country. There are so many options and then there's the worry about scams but we had a good feeling about KBS, mainly due to Esther's friendly, informative and prompt correspondences. We weren't required to pay up front either. For us, we prioritised having a private tour over luxury because of past experiences on group tours where we couldn't see or had to compromise our ideals to accommodate other guests. KBS offered one of the cheapest private options around. Our guide, David, was lovely, considerate, punctual, informative and - importantly - a very safe, responsible driver. The vehicle was fine, not new but in reasonable condition. It did break a fanbelt which David got repaired at our next stop thus not really impacting upon us.
We did 3 nights/4days Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru tour. Masai Mara accom (Sidai camp) was ok in terms of comfort (bed, ensuite hot shower) but not too clean. Breakfast and dinner buffets were good given the remote location but the packed lunches they provided were very poor and didn't cater for vegetarians (bring snacks!). Game drives here were great. David didn’t point out much we couldn't see for ourselves but did use the radio system effectively to find lots of the rarer sightings like lions and cheetahs with kill. A walk around the village (the campsite is not in the park) was interesting but with hindsight we'd have paid a few shillings to get a tour from a local to get a bit more out of the experience. You get plenty of offers and it's cheaper than paying for it as an official activity on your tour.
Lake Nakuru accom was in Chester Hotel which far exceeded our budget expectations. Buffet dinner and breakfast with a great packed lunch. Lake was a good contrast to Mara in terms of scenery. Lots of birdlife, white rhinos, a few flamingos, buffalos, baboons.
Overall we were very content with our experience. Thank you Esther and David!
Here's my blog post on the trip: http://wp.me/p3H1j4-Xz