Reliable safari packages for international market
Africa Flash Mc Tours & Travel
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- KATO, Ecotourism Kenya & Travelife
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IE
Email Phil | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Would definitely recommend
We booked a 4 day safari in Masai Mara & Lake Nakuru.
There's lots of operators and to be honest, I found information to be scant and had lots of questions, particularly around types of accommodation available, length of drives etc. I contacted a few all through email and more or less got standard replies, which was a little frustrating. Peter from Africa Flash McTours was the one who was fastest to reply to queries and also the most flexible in terms of offering different accommodation options, which was great. Some operators want 10% deposit and balance paid on arrival, with Africa Flash Mctours you pay in full upfront when booking. Part of me was slightly concerned about this but I was issued with a receipt immediately and all was well. Nothing to be concerned about. I asked for a recommendation as to a hotel to overnight in before we set off from Nairobi and Peter gave a great one in Ibis Styles Westfields, which was perfectly clean and modern and inexpensive for an overnight.
As promised our driver John met us bang on time at 8am on day 1 and off we went. We got a detailed itinerary for each day and a checklist so we could tick off all the animals we saw. We got to the hotel at 2pm and after lunch and some down time, went on our first sunset game drive. This was incredible, within minutes we had seen hundreds of Zebras, Wildebeests and Gazelles and within the first hour plenty of Elephants and Giraffes. Then the magic of seeing Lions from about 12ft all within an hour and a half. Genuinely couldn't believe how plentiful the animals were but the Mara reserve is huge and day three is a full day driving all around it, right to the Mara River, which borders the Masai Mara and the Serengeti in Tanzania. We saw every type of animal bar Rhinos, which our guide told us we would see in Lake Nakuru. The beauty of the Masai Mara is you can go off track so can get really close to the animals.
The trip to Lake Nakuru is long on day 3 but the lodge there is fabulous. The game there is not as plentiful as in the Masai Mara and you can't go off track but there's plenty to see. The scenery is really beautiful.
Day 4 is a morning game drive and around a 4 hour drive back to the airport, booking a flight departing around 6pm is perfect.
Overall we really enjoyed the tour and would highly recommend Africa Flash Mctours. Our guide John was an excellent driver, very knowledgeable about the animals and areas, and was really accommodating and pleasant.
Tips:
-Fly in the night before and overnight in Nairobi so you start the tour refreshed after a good sleep. I wouldn't recommend flying in early morning and straight out on the tour.
-Don't scrimp on accommodation - I'd really recommend Sopa Mara & Lake Nakuru Lodges.
-Bring a few dust masks, throughout the safari there's mostly dirt tracks which do kick up dust. Not the end of the world but if I was going again I'd bring a few each.
-Be prepared for lots of driving...from Nairobi to Masai Mara, Masai Mara to Lake Nakuru could be 5 or 6 hours driving. You stop for lunch, toilet breaks etc and get to see lots of villages, towns and the Great Rift Valley. Be comfortable though, there's drinking water provided but some water spray would be worth bringing to refresh yourself.
-The tour guide has binoculars, so no need to pack in your luggage.
-if you bring a phone, our driver could charge in the van if we had the lead.
-Be prepared for some dodgy roads, about 2 hours either side of the drive to Masai Mara are just bumpy dirt tracks. Not comfortable but the only way to get there.
-Theres no toilets on the game drives!
US
Email Simone C. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly Recommend!!!
Very quickly we realized that we had one of the best tour guides among the guests at our hotel. Edward’s ability to spot even the hardest animals was unparalleled and he was so dedicated to making sure we got the very best photos. By the end, we had seen each of the Big Five multiple times, in addition to hippos, crocodiles and elephants. Highly recommend this crew and Edward Mathu especially!
Email Hilary | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Highly recommend this company
We were well looked after from start to finish. Peter replied to my queries promptly. We had 2 excellent drivers. Safe and courteous. Leonard was our guide on safari and looked after us very well. He was well informed, pleasant to be with. He found all the animals on the park for us to see. We were delighted with how he looked after us. I would definitely use this company again.
Go to Peter!
Recently, I went to Kenya to take a vacation. The highlights are of course to see those wild animals in Africa.
I took a "6 days 5 nights safari" with a company called "Africa Flash McTours & Travel". The manager, Mr. Peter Macharia, did a great job, looking after his customers, although there are circumstances that are a bit beyond his control.
A convincing example is that all the tour companies appear to have a system that tourists are told to hop on different buses at a set of places where they stop for lunch. This system initially confused me a lot as I thought that I would be always staying with one group, once a group has been arranged by a particular company prior to the beginning of your program. But, that was not the case. So, to me what Peter did most impressively was that one day, when he could not organize any other driver to pick me up from Nairobi to Amboseli, he sent in a car to just take me there. Of course, a single passenger would cost his company slightly more than letting his customers sharing with others. But, to me this is the convincing moment that his is a trustable manager.
I also want to mention in passing that a young driver in his own company, John, has done a great job! His English is excellent and he appeared to try to do his job properly, rather than trying to "cut corners".
SG
Email Joel | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience on 3D2N Safari in Maasai Mara
Prior to booking with African McFlash, I had contacted several other agents but none were as attentive and clear in their explanations as Peter from African McFlash. It is no wonder why they managed to secure my booking within a few hours of my initial enquiry. Peter arranged everything and set up my tour very efficiently, thank you for your time and help.
On the tour, I was lucky to have great tourmates, and 2 most entertaining drivers, Richard and Dennis. They were attentive and helpful and I couldn't have asked for more.
Will definitely be recommending them more when I am back at home.
Take care guys and Asante! See you soon!
US
Email Marissa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent!
Fabulous experience! Went on a safari in Kenya followed by chilling on a beach resort in Zanzibar, Tanzania, and visiting an orphanage back in Nairobi. Definitely first class service from planning stage, meeting with Peter, the proprietor, to the actual travel trip and especially Edward -- the best safari guide and game driver in Kenya! I cannot say enough good things about our experience with this company -- totally professional, efficient, service was phenomenal, and the added bonus of reasonable cost compared to other tour companies we looked at! Recommend this company very highly!
HT
Email Ronald | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari experience
This 3 days and 2 nights tour in the Maasai Mara was such a great trip. From the planning to the entire experience Peter went above and beyond to make sure this was an enjoyable Safari.
Though faced with some unforeseeable delays once on site (weather conditions not allowing the arrival day afternoon game drive, vehicle breakdown...) our guide and driver John also went above and beyond to make sure that we had an excellent trip. We got our BIG 5 within a few hours (we were lucky with that one) and got to see so much more of the wildlife in the Mara along with a very interesting visit in a Masai village.
Overall great experience. Hats off to to Peter and the team at Africa Flash Mc Tours
Email Swetha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari with Africa Flash McTours
We did the 6 days and 5 nights Luxury safari of Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli. Right from the start Peter provided us with excellent communication and guidance about the details of the safari and how to go about booking it. He's very professional yet personable, and did his absolute best to accommodate our requests. As we booked the safari quite late, there weren't enough rooms available at one particular campsite, but Peter and his company covered the additional costs to book us elsewhere in a more luxurious one! All the accommodations, meals and services were fantastic. Our guide Leonard was terrific, very knowledgable about the wildlife and parks, and excellent at driving us for hours on end during the game drives. We got to see all of the Big Five. This was our first time in Africa and my family and I couldn't have had a better time! I highly recommend Africa Flash McTours and thank you Peter for everything!
Email Shane White | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional, great price and perfectly executed trip
Peter helped plan a busy trip (Kenya safari, visiting orphanage and a wedding proposal) with great care and quickly. The trip was wonderful from beginning to end. We particularly liked the care taken for the various ages of those in our group. Edward our driver was very personable, caring and made our experiences that much better. Would highly recommend.
US
Email Taylor | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
6 Day Joining Safari (Masai Mara, Nakuru, Amboseli)
Our trip itinerary included 6 days and covered Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Amboseli parks. First off, I want to say what a pleasure it was dealing with Peter, the manager. He not only responded promptly to all of my emails but was able to answer all of my questions and made me feel very secure in my decision to book with him. There are literally thousands of booking companies, many of which that will overcharge you for essentially the same things as budget safaris. Our $950/person budget safari came to about $160/day/person which is standard and fair when you factor in qualified drivers, 3 meals a day, and good accommodation. You can always stay somewhere nicer but I feel like the budget tented camps are all you need, you are on a safari after all!
Our guides were Peter (different gentleman than the manager) and John. We spent the first few days with Peter who was quite knowledgeable and the second part with John. What you may not realize about Group Joining Safaris is that you'll likely be with different people at different times of your trip, the booking companies do this to maximize the amount of people in the fewest cars, and like air traffic control, make sure everyone has a ride to the next part of their itinerary. Peter was able to make all of this happen seamlessly and even helped ferry people to different parks himself in his personal car. He really wants you to have a great time and it shows.
I won't comment on the different parks, just assume they are amazing because they are.
I only have two small critiques. First, on the Africa Flash MC website (which is one of the more organized websites I looked at), the explanation of which camps you would be staying in for which price was a little off. We thought that we would be spending our Amboseli nights at Kibu luxury camp as it was listed under the "budget" safari we chose. We were a little disappointed to find out that once we had paid and Peter sent us the itinerary that Kibu was not listed and another place was. However, halfway through the safari Peter called us to tell us that we were going to be "upgraded" to Kibu for our final two nights as a way to make our trip special, which was very nice of him because it really did. Whether this is a sales tactic for getting a good review or just an honest mistake on one of our parts really doesn't matter, although the website could be clearer Peter still made the experience memorable and magical. Perhaps they could update the site to be a bit clearer, or, just clarify your accommodation with Peter via email so you don't leave somewhere you want to stay up to chance. He'll get back to you right away.
The second critique were the vans. Most companies in Kenya seem to run these converted minivans with the standard safari car pop-top. These are different from the Toyota Landrovers you see more often in Tanzania. While you can still operate well enough in them they are cramped when full, especially when they have a three-seater row which some do. That makes it harder to stand because the aisle is occupied by an extra seat. The first van we were in had this and it was rough, especially because in Masai Mara you go off-road and it was VERY bumpy. That same van had a lot of sharp edges in it that tore at my clothes and left me wondering if I should put on my gloves to not cut my hands. Finally, as a 6'1" man this van's roof was too short for me to stand in, not so with other vans I have been in on safari. Bumped my head A LOT. The second van was much better, it didn't have the middle seat in the front row so there was more room to stand and the padding was better. No sharp edges, and a higher head clearance. And yet, not perfect, half of the windows were stuck closed. If I were Peter I would retire that first van or at least give it an interior overhaul.
That's it! A long winded way to say how much I enjoyed this safari with Peter. He's trustworthy, fair, honest, and very easy to work with. The company operates smoothly and he makes sure everyone gets to where they are going and has the best experience possible. Highly recommend, can't go wrong with Africa Flash MC.