Africa Remote Safaris (Kenya)
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 1999)
- Member Of:
- IATA, ETT, Eco Tourism Society Kenya & East African wildlife Club
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great migration safari
I have been on safari in Kenya and Tanzania with Africa Remote Safaris. This was my first time in Africa . I was very impressed with their services especially our guide Hamza from Tanzania. We arrived on an early morning flight and Hamza was at the airport to meet us. We traveled to Lake Naivasha and we stay at Cray Fish camp. This is an intimate camp located at the edge of the lake Naivasha and is just a walking distance to hells gate park. We also took bicycles and went to hells gate park. This was unforgettable tour. Our local guide Morris was very knowledgeable about birds and animals. We also took a boat to the crescent island, we saw hippos, giraffe, buffalo and zebras. The next morning we drove to Maasai Mara, a section of the road is good but there is a very rough part for 3hours driving to Ol Moran tented camp. Ol Moran camp is a semi- luxury camp in a good location. The meals at the camp were super. Better than most hotels we have been to. We spend three nights. Maasai Mara. The best part of the safari was on the second day when we witnessed a group of 22 lions hunting. We spent 3 hours waiting patiently as the lions took positions around a group of 10 Buffalos. This was incredible. The lions were hiding behind the Safari cars- Very clever-I think.
They hunted in groups and waited until two buffalo were free from their group. We watched at the Lions attacked the two buffalo but there was a big fight. The Buffalo fought off the Lions in a fight that lasted almost twenty minutes. In the end the Buffalo won. too bad for the Lions.
After the Maasai Mara we drove to mwanza where we stayed at Speke Bay Lodge. The service at Speke Bay was not very good and the manager was not very kind to his staff. Next was Serengeti-We stayed at Ikoma Bush Camp. The camp has a German owner and is very good. Clean rooms, hot water and great food and many Stories from Mr Pepe. A very friendly man. The Serengeti is ten times the size of Maasai Mara, we saw huge crocodiles at Grumeti river, we saw the big five. Ngorongoro Crater was amazing- we stayed at Rhino Lodge, A small lodge that is managed by Local Maasai People.After two days we left for Lake Manyara for one night at Twiga Safari Camp- Again great food and friendly local people. Our Safari ended in Arusha where we said goodbye to the best guide ever! Hamza who had become part of the family from Kenya all the way to Tanzania. We were very lucky to have one guide for this safari.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Africa Remote Safaris thinks about everthing you just think about enjoying
Steve and Naphtally are very helpful to organise our safari according to our requirements. They received us at the airport in Nairobi and drove us at the hotel. The day after, we started our 4 nights safari with Mike (Amboseli-Lake Nakuru Masai Mara). For all safari we had a private minivan. At Masai Mara, Africa Remote up-graded our accomodation at the same price (Osero Camp). It was a nice surprise.
Mike is a great guide, very patient with a sharp eye to see animals. When we came back to Nairobi, Africa Remote (Steve) offered us a dinner at Carnivore Restaurant. We really suggest this tour operator for your safari due to their availability, drivers ability and good quality/price ratio. (P.s.: if sometime they don't answer to your mail quickly or they don't arrive on time, don't worry).
US
Email Seattle | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Scam bookings - denied plane boarding, unpaid park fees, missed pick-up & briefing etc.
Do not take the chance to have the same terrible and costly experience we had with Mr. Steve Biko, Africa Remote Safaris! As of today, 1/6/2016, we have not been reimbursed for our additional expenses, US $ 4,461, which we occurred due to Steve Biko's continued failings, and have not heard back from Mr. Biko.
Our safari was scheduled, Aug. 16 - Aug. 22, 2015. Day 1, we were not picked up as scheduled in Nairobi to continue to Masai Mara. The hotel arranged for transfer to Wilson Airport and from there we flew to Masai Mara. Upon arrival and being greeted by our driver, we were told our park fees, driver and car fees had not been paid. After waiting around and phoning with Mr. Biko, we were off to go about 1 hour after arriving. Day 3 our scheduled balloon ride did not happen. Day 4 we were supposed to continue to Serengeti, and were denied boarding the SafariLink plane due to Mr. Biko had failed to pay for the tickets. On day 5 after not being able to leave our hotel due to Mr. Biko not paying for our lodging, our family of four had no other option than to change our itinerary for the remaining day's. This cost us an additional $4,461 for accommodation and flights, not to mention the time we missed actually being out seeing animals, and instead dealt with the many failings of Steve Biko and a police report encouraged my the Manager of our hotel, who wants this type of scoundrels out of the Kenyan travel industry. Throughout our safari when running into unpaid services, Steve Biko continuously asked us to pay in order to be reimbursed later - we did not as our safari was paid in full well in advance.
With the experience and knowledge I have today, my advice to you would be to organize your own safari. It might seem overwhelming, but you can book your flights and hotels directly, and arrange for a car with knowledgeable drivers with the hotel you are staying at. Enjoy your travels, and stay away from Steve Biko and Africa Remote Safaris.
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya ,Tanzania safari
12 Days Kenya and Tanzania. Awesome planning.
We chose the 12 Day Kenya Tanzania Cradle of Mankind Safari and cannot commend this company highly enough. Steve, Haron, Shafi(Tanzania) and Amy (Nairobi) really went out of their way to make our honeymoon Safari memorable. The organization was flawless,
We really got top level service and real value for money.
Evans and Shafi were our articulate and knowledgeable safari guides for (Kenya and Tanzania). We stayed at the Oltukai Lodge in Amboseli .
Our room had INCREDIBLE view of the Kilimanjaro.
We traveled to the Ngorongoro and stayed at Serena Lodge,Kati kati Serengeti, Mbalageti Camp ,Serena Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru(Lion Hill again great food and welcome). The lodges and camps that we stayed at were great from the point of view,Location, game availability and food.
In Maasai Mara we stayed at Mara Serena which was a touch of luxury and well worth the extra. We then moved on to Entim Camp which again was luxury. This is a new camp and although based outside the park was a treat given the personal service we received (as only 2 of 4 people staying) and the enormous tent that we stayed in, completing new, safe and good to be in what was a genuine Masai community (owned and run by Kenyans). Africa Remote Safaris arranged every detail of the trip and did so for a price that was better than any other firm and the same price as reputable UK firms were offering for road trips in a far lesser standard of accommodation.
Steve was exceptional: well informed and welcoming throughout. This firm could not have been better in any way and can be thoroughly recommended. Finally we'd like to promote the fact that by booking and trusting local based firms such as this you are investing in a wonderful country that needs such trust and investment. You really can't lose as it gives you exposure to Local people, you are investing directly in the country and the level of service is undoubtedly better and cheaper than that offered by tour companies. If you're thinking of 'going safe' and booking with an international tour company please have a think and decide to trust our review and you won't regret it!
US
Email Reddy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
This company is a big U.S. company operates as Neo Destinations which is terrible.
We have booked 11 day safari with this company. Our contact person was Steve Boko. When we reached Nirobi there is no Steve anymore it was Naftale from Neo Destinations. Our biggest mistake was we paid the money before. This company do not have their own vehicles and they sub contract with others who has no relation with us. The driver/guide was Robinson who is a jackass. In the entire 11 days he used to scold kids and always says he will throw out of his van. The trouble started when we reached Tanzania, we were taken to a tented camp at night instead of a lodge which was booked for us before and next day we are told that they will drop us at
Tanzania border and need to talk to our operator(Naftale) who was absconding. We were forced to go to police station for help to keep the driver in check at Lake Navisha. Over all a terrible experience with this guy. Kenya is a beautiful country but cheats like Naftale/Robinson(Neo Destinations/ African safaris) spoiling the country name.
Note:- if you book with this company do not pay all the money till Safari is completed.
CA
Email David | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Beware - Unilateral changes in Itinerary, last minute flight changes, hotels not reserved
We booked a 10 day safari to Kenya and Tanzania followed by 4 days in Zanzibar. We were a group of four. Upon arrival, we were picked up at the airport and transported to our hotel, only to find out there was no reservation for us and the hotel was full. This required us to move to another hotel (much inferior in quality). The next morning, a representative of Africa Remote met us and indicated that the payments we had made one month earlier were still being held by their credit card agency and we would have to pay for the night's hotel plus US $160 (cash) for that day's entrance into Nakuru Nat'l Park - but that they would refund the money to our credit card. This they did but because we are not American, we do not travel with a lot of U.S. cash. We were told the money we paid should soon be available and everything would be O.K. Not so. When traveling from the Masai Mara to Amboseli Nat'l Park, we passed through Nairobi and were told the same representative needed to see us again. This time, were told we were required to pay the entrance fees into Amboseli - another $160 cash. Our U.S. cash reserves were getting very low at this time. We were assured everything would be O.K. once we crossed into Tanzania. The next day when we met our Tanzanian, guide we asked if all fees were paid. His response was that we were to pay the entrance fees for the parks. It took him over an hour to clarify our situation with the Nairobi office, but still we had to pay the entrance fee to Tarangire Nat'l Park. All these fees were eventually refunded. This is when things really started to go wrong. On our drive from Tarangire to Ndutu Tented Camp, our guide received a text message from the office that advised him to stop early at a 1 star (at best) roadside hotel until he could complete some necessary banking the next day. In other words, our accommodation at Ndutu had not been reserved or paid for. We wasted half a day at this hotel with absolutely nothing to see or do. The next day, we set off again and had to wait over 2 hours while our guide completed the banking. This resulted in a very late drive over some questionable tracks after the sun had set. To say it was nerve racking is an understatement. On our way out of Ndutu, it was obvious that no accommodation had been booked for the night. We had paid in advance to stay at the Rhino Lodge but ended up in the Bouganvillea Lodge (very pleasant, but cheaper) after our guide had a heated exchange with his office. What a surprise in the morning when we found out we had to pay for the night at the hotel ($186). That day was our flight to Zanzibar, which, at the request of Africa Remote, we had paid $280 each in May of 2015 - we were told it was necessary to pay early because the flights sell out. We had asked for the flight itinerary and when we passed through Nairobi were told that we were flying Precision Air at 1:15 from Arusha's domestic airport. At 9:00 a.m. we finally got our flight itinerary. We were now flying Fast Jet at 12:30 from Kilimanjero airport - over 2 1/2 hours driving away. They had booked us at the last minute on a Low Cost carrier (the tickets cost them less than $124 each -in other words, they made a lot of money). Our driver drove at breakneck speed to get us to the airport. We made it to the check in counter with less than 2 minutes to spare. Then we found out our flight not only had a 6 hour layover in Dar es Salaam, but we were charged luggage fees for each flight segment (another $ 70). Upon arrival late in the evening in Zanzibar, there was no one to meet us as had been promised. We made our way by taxi to the hotel listed on our itinerary (Pongwe Beach Hotel) only to find, once again, that no reservation had been made. Fortunately, the manager was very accommodating, had room for us and said he would work everything out the next day. He got an e-mail in the morning telling him to expect our arrival and "customer to pay". In other words, they had not paid for this hotel either. The manager tried to contact Africa Remote by e-mail and phone but had no luck. We ended up paying for this hotel for the three nights we stayed ($600). Pongwe Beach Hotel is a gem! Pongwe Beach even arranged our transfer and stay at our next destination in Stone Town. Africa Remote ended up owing us a considerable amount of money. It took them almost a month to process a refund. We are lucky because we had the resources to weather this situation. It might not be so for other travelers. Even though the two guides we had were excellent (Simon in Kenya and Hamza in Tanzania) the front office ruined this experience. We wasted time in hotels, while they were banking and sitting in an airport departure lounge. They caused us far more stress than any other trip that I have taken - and I have traveled to over 90 countries. I would never recommend this company!
Recommending Hosking -Safari guide with Africa Remote Safaris
Hello,
We just returned from a safari in Kenya where we visited Amboseli, Tsavo West and Tsavo East . Haron was our guide. An amazing guide indeed who spoke fluent French and English.
The Safari organisation exceeded our expectations. A very big thank you to Amy for responding to all our emails and arranging a memorable safari. We spent magical moments in the reserves, especially in Amboseli and Tsavo West. The nights in the Kibo tented camp in Amboseli was a unique experience. We also had a great time relaxing in Ngulia Safari Tsavo West camp, watching the animals from the terrace of our room!
Regarding reserves, it is at Amboseli that we saw most of the animals.
Tsavo West park is a great place to enjoy nature with vast rolling hills and Leopards.
However, we did not see a lot of animals at Tsavo East Park.
In summary, we highly recommend Africa Remote Safaris and thank you to Amy for the organization, and our expert guide Haron.
Larry
Email Jeremy and Kate | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
10 Days Kenya Safari
This was our first Safari in Africa. We can’t quite get the exact words to describe our Safari but Extra ordinary comes close. After Months of being fixed on wildlife television channels and wishing we could cross into the Television screen, we finally travelled to Kenya.
Our Driver for the Safari was Haron aka ‘Simba’ . He had eyes of lynx and very keen.At some point we thought he had eyes at the back of his head due to his animal spotting skills. When he saw something he always showed us. 9 out of 10 of his sightings were correct. Sometimes the Lions were hidden in the grass camouflage, rare serval, 2 leopards after mating in the Aberdare park and the Rhinos at Lake Nakuru. We have taken more than 3000 pictures for the 10 Days we were in Kenya as well as more than 8 hours film. Apart from a few blurred images(due to our poor photography experience),there isn't much to throw away.
Speaking of Africa Remote Safaris, we would highly recommend this company if you are looking for a reasonably priced or Mid budget tour. Our quote was unbelievingly 30% less than most bench marked companies here in the UK. The professionalism of the team can only be compared to the beautiful landscapes of Kenya. We want to thank Amy who organised all the paperwork, our guide Haron- we will not forget his jokes, Joseph the cook, so good with dishes and kindness which just read on his face. We were sad to say goodbye at the end of the 10 days. Unforgettable!! Thank you very much.We will definitely return and maybe try out Tanzania ,Zanzibar and of course request if possible for the winning combination of Haron and Joseph . Thank you.
Email Shainav | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Recommending Africa Remote Safaris
We want to thank you for this great safari!
We had a wonderful stay in Kenya and Tanzania.( with Zanzibar)
Your organization was perfect, at no time we were disappointed. Except for the short delay at the border, not your fault of course. We saw landscapes, animals and made many friends along the way. We shall never forget Mto wa Mbu.
During all our safari we met 3 great guides, true professionals:
Agoi in Kenya
Shaff in Tanzania
Mwalima, our guide for Zanzibar spice tour.
A big thank you to these 3 people they were patient and always listening to us and always available for us. They have incredible knowledge of animals, the country and its cultures.
Regarding accommodations, Ol Moran Camp in Maasai Mara, Serenet Lodge on Lake Victoria, and Tingitana Ndutu Camp were execellent, better than some hotels in here in London! The food was very good,
Thank you to all the team of Africa Remote safaris for making this Safari a memorable experience for us.
THANK you! we are very happy.
7 Days Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Tarangire Safari with Africa Remote Safaris
When we started doing our research for a Safari company, we were at first very sceptical as most Europeans usually are when dealing with overseas companies. This was to be our honeymoon destination ( 08 Days Tanzania) and we were on a certain budget. We wrote to several companies and asked a lot of questions. We also used Safaribookings.com and trip advisor to make a decision regarding the tour Company. Africa Remote Safaris wasn’t the cheapest quote but compared to the local UK companies. They were almost 30% cheaper and half the price that Thomsons had quoted to us.
Although we had an idea of the sort of itinerary we wanted, Steve, one of the managers helped us choose the best itinerary in consideration of our Length of stay. They also booked our flights out of London (Qatar Air via Doha). I was working on the Safari day and needed a flight departing at 8pm. Africa Remote Safaris did not disappoint. They booked us on the flights and sent me the E ticket. I must say that we found their service really professional and in a timely manner.
My concern however was when making payments. We had preferred paying my credit card instead of the wire transfer. However when making the payments, we were informed by their Credit card merchant that I should send over my verification details, this included a copy of my Identity and part of my Credit card. I found this to be very strange. My Bank advised me against doing so. They tried using yet another system from their bank but with the verification requirement. We found this to be very frustrating but the Tour operator’s hands were tied. In the end we had to bite the bullet and sent the documents requested by the 3G.
On the payment process I would honestly give them a 4 over 10.
On arrival in Nairobi, we realised that our concerns were short-lived , we were met with Steve himself and our guide Mr Haron. Honestly while in Serengeti I realised that we had a very good deal. Based on the quality of accommodation. ( Serengeti Kati Kati, Olduvai camp and Tloma lodge)
We had an amazing Safari. We saw elephants, buffalo and giraffe and all the Big 5. As our guide had explained, it is very rare to see ALL the big 5 especially the black Rhino and leopard. Our guide found was incredible. We saw more than 20 Lions, then another 14 lions in Serengeti feasting on a Buffalo, 8 Cheetah’s including the ones that were hunting before killing a warthog. We also saw 08 leopards in total with one that was just about 2 meters away from us on a tree.
All in all, we saw so many animals and the camps and lodges were wonderful. I want to thank Africa Remote Safaris and especially Steve and Haron for making our Honeymoon very memorable.
We hope to come back one day.
Erin and Becky Copeland