Vacay CEO David Kimani(right) and guide on Mt Kili
Vacay Holiday Deals
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $80 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email Bernd | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect proactive service and response
All meets our expectations of locations, safari and the perfect proactive support from the Vacay team!
Will book again with Vacay!
Email John | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent
The communication was okay and proper transfer arrangements were in place. The hotel booking was also appropriately done
DE
Email Ben | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The tour guide didn't know where to take us and the tour was poorly organized.
Unfortunately our expensive tour with Vacay Holiday Deals was much worse than expected.
We were told the name and telephone number of the driver that would be picking us up in our hotel in Nairobi about four days prior to arrival. The morning of the pickup, another man picked us up and said that he would be replacing him. Unfortunately he had no idea about the package we had booked. He had to look at our voucher to find out details such as the itinerary (where he should take us, where we would be staying, the fact that fees for parks etc were already included in the high price, the fact that water was included, and that drop-off would not be Nairobi but Iten near Eldoret).
The car was terrible for the Masai Mara. Every other car and especially the jeeps and Land Rovers passed us constantly. It took us much longer to reach the camp than it should have, and we couldn't take some of the roads that other visitors were taking. We had asked about the condition of the vehicle in advance, and we had the confirmation that it was suitable for a visit to the Masai Mara. This is definitely not the case. Even now in the dry season, it was almost impossible to pass some of the roads.
It seems like Vacay hires external drivers with their private cars to drive the tourists around. Both the driver and Vacay try to keep their profit as high as possible, with disregard to the experience of the customer.
The camp (Mara Concord Game Lodge) was excellent. The owner and all employees were very welcoming, and made sure we had a great stay. We had an excellent view of the river, where we could literally see hippos from our window. The food was very good too.
In our previous planning and dealing with Vacay, we had determined that all fees for the parks and conservancy and also the guide would be included in the package. Of course the voluntary tip was not included in this yet.
Nonetheless, on our first day a second man entered the car, and he was never really introduced to us. It seemed like he was supposed to be the guide, but he never said anything to us, nor was he in any way familiar with the park. He sometimes pointed our driver in a random direction, only to find out minutes later that it was a dead-end.
We came to Kenya for our honeymoon in order to see the Great Migration. Since we only took dead-ends, and then couldn't pass one of the rivers (that every Land Rover passed with ease since it was only 20 cm deep), we couldn't get to the section of the Mara River where the Great Migration of wildebeest and zebras takes place. We were told that "there aren't really that many animals in the park anyway," which is hard to believe since the Masai Mara is the reason that many people visit Kenya in the first place, and it is one of the most famous national parks in all of Africa, famous for the herds of animals.
When we said that we would love to see rhinos, we were told that these don't exist in the park (other people told us they saw them, so that can't be true). When I mentioned some information on areas in the park that often have rhinos (which I read in my guide book and online), the "guide" and driver didn't even recognize the names of the areas of the park.
When the guide left after the second day, we were told that we had to pay a fee for his services. This was not about a tip, but an actual fee that we were meant to pay, even though this was already included in our package.
On the third day we were meant to have an early-morning game drive (which is when most of the animals are out anyway). Our driver said "it is cancelled", and simply started driving towards Eldoret.
On the way the car broke down, about 80 km from our destination. We were not surprised, since the terrible old car took quite a beating on the roads. We stood in the roadside in the burning sun for two hours, and then had to pay for part of a taxi ride by some private driver that our driver organized. He explained that Vacay would pay for a small part of the ride, but we had to pay for the other half to reach our destination. Considering the amount we paid for our package this is completely ridiculous.
It is really unfortunate that we made the booking with Vacay for our honeymoon. We specifically didn't go with a budget option, because we wanted to enjoy these special days.
Reply from Vacay Holiday Deals
Posted on Aug 16, 2018Hi Ben. Our sincere apologies about your journey experience. We had no idea the driver had changed and wish you had mentioned it during the trip we take action immediately. Still it shouldn't have happened and will make sure to take the necessary action on him. I assure you this is not how we do business or treat guests. We will refund you the cash you used that was part of the inclusions.
The ambiance was great.
My only problem was the all inclusive offer which the establishment did not recognize even after confirmation with vacay holiday deals.
Email Simon & Xiu | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari
Excellent Itinerary , accommodation, great value for money, Andrew the guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. We spent our time in Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivisha and Masai Mara and thoroughly enjoyed our 5 night stay. Would recommend to anyone who is thinking of a great safari in Kenya.
Email Christine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
The best budget friendly holiday operator ever!
Vacay where quick to respond to all our queries and delivered on all their promises. The team was always easy to reach on phone and through emails. They organised our holiday to ensure all activities happened on-time and as per our expectations. The trip to Dubai was filled with exciting activities and we ended up learning a lot about the country and Emirati culture from the City Tour. Our highlight was the thrilling Dessert Safari and dune bashing where we also got a chance to ride on quad bikes, enjoy Arabian cuisine, watch traditional dancers and a fire show.
We will definitely be booking our next holiday through Vacay and thank the entire team for organising our exciting Dubai adventure!!
Email Lorenzo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari experience with excellent guide
Vacay were brilliant - very helpful in accommodating our preferences when putting together the itinerary, very reasonably priced, great guide (friendly, helpful, knowledgeable - Andrew), lovely accommodation and we saw some amazing wildlife.
We stayed at lake Naivasha and the Masai Maara.
Thoroughly recommended.
US
Email Chelsea | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Flawless luxury flying safari experience from beginning to end!
Leonorah and David provided a flawless experience for us. They arranged the exact safari we wanted--a three night flying safari from Nairobi to the Masai Mara staying in a luxury tented camp with a hot air balloon ride. Everything came together perfectly, and we had the best time of our lives. We will never forget this safari and truly appreciate the professionalism, attentiveness, and friendliness of Vacay Holidays.
Email Helen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
it was amazing and the service was excellent
The communication was good, service was excellent and it was a tour that we must do again!
Email Judy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Easy and efficient
I liked it. Leonorah was fast and easy to speak with.