Reliable safari packages for international market
Africa Flash Mc Tours & Travel
- Office 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
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Email Ian T | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
FlashMc delivers 6-star FOUR SEASONS HOTEL customer service!
Peter Macharia will be the guy answering your phone calls and emails from start to finish. He's DA MAN as Africa Flash McTours and Travel is his baby! He delivers 6-star FOUR SEASONS HOTEL customer service! Seriously, they should hire him! If you want to go directly to the source and not have a bunch of middlemen in between, then look no further! Before I settled on FlashMC (which I kept mistakenly seeing as McFlash) I did research on a dozen companies in Kenya & Tanzania, 6 companies in Europe & another dozen companies in the USA. If you've read until now then STOP YOUR RESEARCH and look no further - you're welcome!
So Peter delivers on speedy communication that is easy to understand. He delivers on obstacles; if you have one he can help you get around it. He's KATO-bonded. He delivers on helping you do a turn key solution from the time you land until you take-off! But can he deliver on the safari? YOU BETCHA!
I met him after his guide, Anthony Kimondo picked us up and brought us to a quick snack station and to meet Peter (see photo). All the lodges and tented camps were as advertised. FlashMC's website is transparent about choices of accommodations, upcharges, travel times, etc. Many other websites were "contact us for pricing" or some such malarkey (never used that term but trying to bring it back - LOL).
We did a 10 day Kenya & Tanzania LUXURY tent & lodge experience. The title says "11Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania Group Camping Safari" because I could no longer find this option. You may see it listed as "Great African Rift Valley Safari" on his FlashMcTours dot com web site. We chose the "Luxury Package" over the "Standard Package."
Anthony, our guide, smiles from ear to ear and with his eyes. He's 45 and has a wife and kids at home; it was nice to gain some insight into Nairobi living from him. He's genuinely happy and laid back enough to make sure this is all about you! You want to start at 6:30 am? No problem! You want to start at 9:30 am? Hakuna Matata! At breakfast, all the other private guides wanted to sit with happy Anthony! On safari, all the other private guides wanted to say hello to Anthony and share with him what they saw. He's like the MAYOR of the Maasai Mara! Oh, and he knows his stuff! He has eagle-eyes, his head is on a swivel but yet safety first!
When we got to the Kenya-Tanzania border at Isibania, Kenya, the crossing was pretty simple. They were already protecting against CoronaVirus (CoViD-19) even tho, at the time it was rampant in the rest of the world but for Africa! Each country protects its own tourism so there are arrangements for a hand-off to another outfit. Peter uses Emanuel at Tanzania Joy and his guide was PrayGod (not misspelled). PrayGod is 31 and has a wife and new (adorable) baby son at home in Moshi. PrayGod was a thinking-man's guide! You wanted superficial knowledge about an animal; he got that! You wanted to go deep about the eco-system? Just sit back and listen to the professor! He was college-educated in this area and it showed. He used his radio for information but also used his all his senses to search for evidence so instead of looking for the lion, he listened for the baboon in the tree. He once spotted a black rhino in Ngorongoro that must have been 5 km away. PrayGod was also flexible and patient!
Thank YOU Anthony & PrayGod!
What would I change? Well we saw 28 of the 30 animals that were on the check list (attached). 93% seems like you don't need to change anything but here's my take:
LODGING:
1) The hotel chain SAROVA is INCREDIBLE! They make you feel like family. Like genuine family you love and not faking it. We stayed in 2 locations and any chance I would to stay in more would be my choice. The Mara Sarova Game (LUXURY TENTED) Camp may have been one of our highlights!
2) The hotel chain Serena is very good. A blend of African welcoming hospitality and American service efficiency.
3) In Amboselli, we stayed at Oltukai Lodge though Peter's 1st choice was Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge; Oltukai was not bad and the scenery was magnificent as were the velvet monkeys but it seemed a bit 'rookie' compared to Sarova and Serena. In retrospect, we should have stayed in the Serena property.
ITINERARY:
1) Amboselli to Lake Nakuru National Park was a LONG day filled with a lot of peripheral Nairobi traffic so not so interesting. We saw much there including the White/Wide Rhino but not sure it was worth THIS drive.
2) Maasai Mara to Serengeti was also a LONG DAY. We had to drive hours North West to the crossing and then hours South West to the Serengeti and then much further to get to our lodging. We were warned that this was the longest day and to consider a flight from Maasai Mara airstrip to the Serengeti. Peter would have arranged it and maybe we should have considered it more closely. NO REGRETS tho!
3) Ngorongoro: We were there for one night - I would have made that 2! If we had to 'steal' from somewhere else, it would have been to ditch Lake Nakuru (1-day) or to poach (okay, bad word) one of the 3 days from Maasai Mara.
CAR/TRUCK:
Your cheapest option is a safari-modified mini-van. As soon as we heard that the Toyota Landcruiser had more comfortable seat/ride, we chose the up-charge. Here's a minor thing we did not know: There are 2 styles of Landcruiser - The standard 3-row & the extended cab 4-row. In Kenya we had the 4 row and in Tanzania we had the 3 (you can see one of the attached pictures side by side). Well we were 2 people so space was not an issue but I will just mention that the 4-row has windows that are larger and 'portrait-mode' vertical rectangles to better see out of whereas the 3-row windows are more square or 'landscape-mode' horizontal. In comparison to the mini-vans both our Landcruisers had much better visibility!
The book with the best stories should be your passport and FlashMc Peter delivered! Thank YOU Peter!
Email Michiel Willems | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Anthony was the best!
Excellent 4-day trip to Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara; quality jeep, good lodges, great food. Overall, well organised and our driver/guide Anthony was fun, patient and chatty. We had a great time and it was excellent value for money.
Email Stacey | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Top Marks for the Team
I arrived to Nairobi at 3am at a bus stop, I had been travelling for 2 days from Addis, Ethiopia. When I arrived Peter came to pick me up and sorted me a hotel for a few hours to freshen up.
We later had breakfast on the go and he handed me over to my Safari driver/guide John. I had chosen a 4 day Safari with an additional walking safari option. We stopped there first. It was amazing. After a short trip across lake Nakuru, spotting Hippos and fish eagles I was walked through the reserve getting up close and personal with giraffes, wildebeests, zebra's and antelope. We continued onto lake NAIVASHA I think. Accommodations were gorgeous and so was the food. We went on an afternoon game drive saw 3 of the big 5 and had dinner. Started early the next day, breakfast and a morning game drive leaving the park headed to The Masai Mara national reserve. We spent 2 nights at the luxury tented camp site which was divine. Food and service were amazing and there was plenty of action on the game drives, animals get proper close! I also opted to visit a traditional Masai Villige on the way out which was a nice way to end the trip.
All in all the accommodations were spot on, all the food was great, service was better and I saw a lot of animals!
And as a solo female traveller, I always felt safe and that's quite important.
Money well spent for memories that will last a lifetime.
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Email Thomas & Katie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Spectacular experience in Amboseli with guide Edward
We are a mid-20s married couple and chose the private 3-day safari at Amoseli with accommodations at Kibo. On our 3 game drives, we saw hundreds of elephants, 3 lions and 3 cheetahs among many other animals. The visibility of Mt Kilimanjaro was very good in the mornings and evenings, even though we were told clouds often cover the mountain. Edward was a great guide, teaching us about the animals, the park, Swahili language, and Kenya in general. He was charming and wanted to make sure we had a great time. We felt very safe and comfortable throughout the safari and at Kibo Camp. The waiters and waitresses at the camp made us feel special and were delightful. The Land Cruiser was a neat vehicle except for some troubles with the seatbelts. Peter was responsive and thorough with email communication. Highly recommend this safari experience!
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Email Bob and Sue | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent guide, Anthony, made this a trip of a lifetime.
We had the trip of our lives in Africa and a large part of the success can be credited to our guide Anthony. He was fun, talkative and informative. He is a great driver, an amazing driver. We went where we wanted to go safely and assertively. Great fun! He has an amazing amount of knowledge about the safari area and the animals, continually adding much to our day with his additional information. An example are the three times we were able to watch lions mate because Anthony knew they were getting ready by their demeanor, and would say be patient, give them more time. I am sure we saw a lot of wonderful animal behavior because Anthony has a keen eye for them and could explain their behavior to us. He knew where the find the animals!
He also taught us a lot about the landscape, trees, and other vegetation such as the sausage tree that is eaten by giraffes and elephants.
Anthony also knew more fun stuff such as the equator place and what fun we had there with a science experience to prove we were on the equator.
I also want to stay that due to Sue's brain cancer and other sore muscles and joints for both Sue and Bob, Anthony was very careful helping us in and out of the Land Cruiser, which was a very worthwhile upgrade. Very much appreciated!
Lastly we just want to mention all the extras and there were so many. We loved the phone ring tone on his phone because it is a favorite song. Sue loved talking and laughing briefly with Anthony's wife and daughter - great fun! A sparkle to the days! He provided so much extra sparkles to our day. We feel very blessed to have been matched with Anthony as our guide. It was a fantastic match. Again we had the time of our lives and a large part of that is because of Anthony. Five out of five stars! Thank him for all the fun and laughter. He is a great man with a great heart and is also a great guide! The accommodations were also excellent, especially The Elephant Bedroom!
As far as doing some things different, for me, I would alter the itinerary so there was less 1 night stops, as there is barely time enough at a location to relax any before having to pack up and checkout. I would also reduce the number of box lunches packed by the resorts, or find a way to keep them cold. My stomach, is affected by food sitting out too long, and they were sitting out too long for my aging body, but were large enough and had enough variety that I could eat the bread and fruit and cheese, but at times they were necessary to keep out schedule working good.
We hope to come back, as the Kenyan people are so nice, and we would choose Africa FlashMC tours again and ask for Anthony.
Bob and Sue
CL
Email Sofia B | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience! :D
We did the 6-day safari Samburu-Nakuru-Masai Mara and it was wonderful!! I would definitely choose the same tour and company again!
The route was great, as it gave us the chance to see most of the animales of the area and also appreciate different sceneries, as plants and animals change a lot between the different reserves. We actually got to see 3 types of giraffes, 2 of rhinos and 2 of ostriches + plenty types of birds and other animals as well (including Samburu's Special 5 and the Big 5)
In terms of cost/benefit, I thought it really good, as it was a private the tour for 2, including an excellent guide, very very nice hotels and all the food.
Our guide Patrick was very good. He made us feel safe and was incredibly skilled on spotting animals (we saw a leopard on our first game drive!). He would give us as much time as needed to be watching animals without hurrying us! That was great! He was very flexible and that made us feel comfortable. He would always considered our thoughts and wishes (he tried to focus on the animals we wanted to spot)... you could see that he was doing his best effort! He really wanted to make sure that we were having an incredible time.
We were surprised by the good quality of service given by the company and how trustworthy they were.
MT
Email Sharon Pisani | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful experience!
After browsing online to decide on a safari tour, we came across Africa Flash MC. We really liked the tours and the prices - relatively the ones with the most value.
We contacted them to see if it is possible to arrange different pickup locations to better suit our needs (we started off from Malindi). Peter replied to all our queries and was incredibly helpful, creating a custom safari combining all the locations we wanted to visit.
Our safaris were guided by Simon, and we must say, he was an amazing tour guide! He was always prompt and on time; he answered all our questions, and he went the extra mile to give us the best tourist experience. He always went out of his way and never tried to cut drives short in any way.
The van was comfortable and was cleaned even during the 5 days we spent with Simon. Drinking water was available, as well as binoculars and a lovely animal checklist where we ticked off all the animals we saw, from lions to cheetah, zebras, giraffes, elephants and much more!
All this + the incredible customer service and friendliness from both Simon and Peter made our experience memorable and a great one to share with our family.
IE
Email Declan & Kate | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
8 Days Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro Safari
We had a wonderful honeymoon experience with Flash McTours and Travel. From the outset Peter was the most accommodating tour organiser that responded to our enquiries and together we came up with an itinerary that managed to include the big ticket items that we wanted to see and suited our budget.
The tour was in two halves and we had different guides and vehicles in Kenya and Tanzania. Martin took us through Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara and was top class - his laid back style suited us perfectly and we had some great adventures along the way. Pray God took over in Tanzania and did everything he could to make sure we had the best experience.
To the reason we were there, the wildlife and nature was incredible. Two up close encounters with lions stand out, the first was three mature lions feasting on an unfortunate wildebeest and the second was just watching a pride of four adults and five cubs relaxing and playing in the sun - amazing! We splurged on a hot air balloon in Masai Mara and it was the definite highlight of the trip and we would definitely recommend it as being worth the splurge!
All in all the guides, accommodation and food were very good value for money and Flash McTours will be our first call the next time we are heading in that direction, thanks for everything!
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Email Ayuka | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Fantastic 9 Days Safari Vacation in Kenya
Africa Flesh McTours put together a personalized 9 days safari vacation (Masaai Mara, Amboseli, Ol Pejeta) for us. Peter who is the manager of Flash McTours was extremely responsive before and during the trip to Kenya, answering our questions promptly. Even when we had a little issue with the hotel in Ol Pejeta, he quickly resolved it and offered us a better accommodation. Anthony, who was our guide for the entire 9 days was knowledgable and kind, so we really enjoyed his company. Peter called Anthony's phone once in a while to check in with us if everything is alright, which was very thoughtful. Peter went over and beyond to make our vacation great. Flesh McTours is a very reliable company, and I would recommend to anyone who is thinking about a safari vacation in Kenya.
TH
Email Cameron Macky | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic service
We had an excellent experience from start to finish with Africa Flash McTours. We used to live in Kenya, and we know that standards can vary widely between tour companies, but we were very happy with the service we received and with the wonderful things we experienced during the 6-day trip. Peter always responded quickly to all of our communications, from the first enquiry to last-minute questions. Booking and paying went very smoothly, the itinerary was extremely detailed, and Peter also called us at the start and finish of our trip to make sure everything was OK. Even more, he allowed us to flip the order of the 6-day Ol Pejeta, Nakuru and Masai Mara trip to allow for a pickup at a friend’s house northwest of Nairobi. We really appreciated the flexibility.
On the tour itself, we were very lucky to have Simon as our driver. We saw other tour drivers taking risks (both in the parks and on highways) during our tour, but Simon drove extremely safely at all times. He was always on time, patiently answered questions, and even managed to get us a couple of extra hours’ stay at the Ark by arranging for a later transport out of the Aberdares. He was warm and personable throughout the trip and we felt well-cared-for at all times. He really was fantastic. On the last day, the tour officially ended in the afternoon, but our departing flight didn’t leave until midnight. Simon graciously agreed to stick with us while we ate dinner, and then he took us to the airport. We were very happy to spend the week with him.
Our only (small) concerns about our experience had to do with our safari van - several of the seatbelts did not work, and looked like they needed to be replaced. We had enough working seatbelts for the 4 of us, but with a larger group it would have become a safety issue on the highways. Also, the van seemed to be working pretty hard on the last day’s drive back to Nairobi - perhaps it is time for a little maintenance on it. It certainly met our needs on the trip, however.
We would not hesitate at all to book through Flash McTours again. We loved our trip and the standard of service we got from Peter and Simon was absolutely fantastic. Highly recommended.