Beacon Safaris Team in Masai Mara
Beacon Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $120 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
KR
Email Swann Kim | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most excellent decision in Kenya trip
Actually I and my wife were nervous a bit, since it was our first visit not only in Kenya, but also in Africa. So even after reading so many reviewes of over 10 companies really carefully for some days in planning my schedule in Kenya, it was not easy to choose the one. (I could find really many tour companies with reviews on online, and safari tour was the most important for my african trip...) That was Beacon finally, and this decision was the most excellent one I made during this vacation.
Eric, our driver and guide, was really gentle and professional. He was able to answer any questions of us about animal, plant, life and culture in Kenya and safari. His driving was also perfect and we are suprised that he really knew all the paths and alleys even in savana, so it made us see all the wild animals(without only leopard!!!) and enjoy the long way move even on off road, "African Massage."
My trip was private for me and my wife, and for 4 days including masai mara, nakuru, and naivasha. The best way to enjoy safari tour is just following Eric's guide, (then he would show everything of wild savana), I'd like to recommend to take boat tour and walking safari (it's optional) if you are planned to come by lake naivasha in your itinery. It will be special.
I wish to visit safari again some day, I promise it would be beacon again. I want to say thanks here again to beacon and Eric(to Robert, also).
Great experience with Beacon safaris.
It was our first visit to Kenya and we chose Beacon safaris based on online reviews. We didn't go wrong with that! The communication was great. Beacon provided valuable suggestions and helped to complete our travel plan based on our interest. They were very accommodating. The resorts offered were all great and the game drives were very good as well.
RU
Email Polly | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Safari (with big five!)
We looked into 10 (!) different Safari Tout companies while researching the vacation of a lifetime. Beacon Safaris proved to be the best fit for us with flexible budget and the true ability to customize every step of the itinerery.
We were very satisfied with the level of service and communication Beacon Safaris. All our questions were answered quickly and sensibly. Robert is the best! :)
We were on 4 days (private) trip in Masai Mara NR, Lake Naivasha NP and Lake Nakuru NP, but we saw big five on our first full day game drive!
An abundance of wildlife and stunning landscapes made the experience unforgettable! We learnt so much about the country and wildlife.
There were absolutely no surprises on the trip. The accomondations were fabulous (Sopa Lodges). The van was in perfect condition. Off-road overcame perfectly!
Eric, our guide, was very knowledgeable, friendly and eager to please. The ones who were always late were us, but he was always in a good mood :) He also treated our son very well (5 y.o). We didn't need to worry about anything so we could focus on the wonder all around us. Many thanks to him! And i highly recommend him as a guide for all travelers.
We are so grateful to Beacon Safaris for making this dream come true for our family!
Highly recommend the experience provided by BS to anyone planning a Safari trip to Kenya!
ASANTE SANA!
US
Email CMK | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Safari
Beacon Safaris did a great job. Robert was very responsive, answering all my e-mails and questions very promptly. We were sent a detailed itinerary and instructions about pick-up the morning our safari started. Our guide/driver, Antony, was right on time. He was very knowledgeable and went out of his way to make sure that our safari to the Maasai Mara was what we wanted. No one can guarantee what animals you can see, but Antony kept his ears open to the chatter and was able to show us the entire big-5 within 24 hours of our arrival at the Mara. He showed respect for the animals and did an excellent job telling us about them. We had a choice of lodging and the one we picked was great, more than living up to expectations. All in all, our experience with Beacon Safaris was excellent.
BE
Email Koen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
10 days magical Kenya
Once again, we asked Robert to organise a 10-day trip to Kenya seeing Tsavo East and West, Amboselli, Lake Naivasha and Nakuru and Masai Mara as we did also september 2016. This time, Ken was our driver/guide. This time we came with four friends/family and reserved a jeep.
We were astonished about the number of animals, the beautifull scenery and all the adventures we had underway. Having a leopard at the front door in Tsavo West was a special experience. But every day has been great from beginning to the end. We thank Ken for his friendliness, his professionalism, his helpfullness and guidance. We liked him a lot as a person. Ken was GREAT.
Thx a lot as well to Robert for organising.
We were able to see so many animals, lions, cheeta's, leopards, rhino's (black and white), elephants and so much more.
Only (little) minor thing was the change in our itinarary and the fact the four of us never could stay close to eachother (tents and lodges never together). But overall, it was an excellent holiday and safari.
BE
Email Patrick | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
10 days MAGICAL Kenya !!!!
Second safari with Beacon!
As expected from Robert, he was extremely fast in his communication and the organisation of the whole trip was superb again.
This time, we had Ken as our driver/guide. Extremely nice friendly guide who was always smiling. So each day started perfectly with a smile. He can handle the most difficult traffic situations in the "jungle" of Nairobi, on the dangerous Nairobi-Mombasa road and in the reservation parks. You always feel safe when he's driving.
During the game drives, he brings you to the spot where the action is. Sometimes, he drives away where the rest of the Jeeps try to get in. It doesn't make sense at that moment, but a few moments later, you are at the front seat. It is like he can predict the animal's behaviour. This happened on several occassions with a leopard and 5 cheeta's. A really amazing guide.
I believe that the standard of guide/drivers is high for Beacon Safaris, but you really got the best! Our previous guide/driver was John. He' was also amazing.
So Beacon Safaris is certainly a five star company which I can only recommend.
US
Email Aly | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing animals and nice accommodation, but poor guide communication and incomplete itinerary
My boyfriend and I did a 3-day safari into the Maasai Mara on a private tour. I chose Beacon Safaris because they were quick to reply to my request for information, thorough in their response, accommodating to my customization for our trip, and reasonably priced within my budget. Overall, we had a nice trip - we saw a ton of animals and stayed in a nice accommodation just outside the park gate. The pop-up van was nice and it was great that it was just my boyfriend, our guide and me. Our guide was nice and did a good job of finding the animals, including a leopard, and getting us close to the animals.
There were a few things that made the trip less enjoyable:
1)We were told during the planning that the van had 4-wheel drive, but it did not. Instead, our guide had another van/guide travel with us and when we got stuck (2-3 times), the other van pulled us out. It was fine, but I would have preferred to have been told the truth up front.
2)We were disappointed with our guide, Eric.
* He had shared that he had just come off a long safari trip prior to ours and appeared to be very tired and trying to do the bare minimum.
* His communication left a lot to be desired - He didn't talk with us much and never discussed our plan for the trip or for each day. This was our first safari and it would have been nice to know what to expect each day (e.g., the overall day plan, how long the game drive would be, when we would be back to camp, when we would stop for lunch, etc.).
* During the safari, he seemed rushed and often didn't stop even though we had asked to stop to watch the animals. He would start driving off without warning and while we were still taking photos or observing the animals. Part of this could have been due to our short safari tour and him feeling rushed to get where we needed to go, but he could have communicated this to us. We were in the dark.
* Our guide was late starting every morning, at least 15 minutes. The second day, we were waiting out front at the meeting time, and he had just walked into the lodge to sit down for breakfast. The third day was a mess in the morning (described in the next point.)
* Our guide did not follow our defined itinerary. Our itinerary dictated early start times, but he attempted to start later than planned which we pushed back on. Our itinerary specifically said we were supposed to have a game drive in the early morning on the third day and then a visit to the Maasai village before heading back to Nairobi; however, we were told by our guide that we could do one or the other. Although, from the first day, our guide suggested we do the village tour on the first evening instead of on the last day so he could get back to Nairobi earlier on the last day, leading us to believe that he had never planned to do the drive the last day which was agreed during the trip planning. We disagreed and told him we wanted to stick to the itinerary. I had attempted to get the itinerary from my tent to show him what was agreed, but when I came back to the lodge, he was gone and there was no way to get a hold of him (he wasn't staying at the lodge).
On the third day, he told us to do the village tour in the morning and he would pick us up at 7:30 AM. He did not show up. We waited for 30-minutes before the hotel offered to call him, only to learn that he had intended for us to walk to the village without him, but this was never communicated. Our guide said the village tour was supposed to be 2-hours, but it was barely one hour. When we met up with our guide at 9 AM, he told us it was too late to do the game drive, he had never looked at our itinerary and didn't remember we were supposed to have a game drive. However, early in the trip he had been pushing us to get back to Nairobi as soon as possible on the last day.
Through this experience, we learned that the guide can make or break the experience and you don't always know who you are going to get. We also learned from a later safari (with a different company) that a lot of the safari company's hire independent contractors as guides. I recommend proactively reviewing the itinerary with the guide from the start and sticking to the plan.
Despite the shortcomings, we really enjoyed our experience and time in the Maasai. The abundance of animal life was incredible!
DE
Email Vitha | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 Day taste of Kenya
The communication between Beacon Safaris was professional, courteous and efficient. Robert put together several itineraries and we selected one that best suited our needs. The guide and driver Daniel was excellent. I can highly recommend Beacon Safaris.
JP
Email Nana | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beacon safari did an excellent job making our first trip to Kenya a wonderful time!
First, we were very worried about our first trip to Kenya. However, Beacon safari (and all other safari tours that I requested quotes to) replied quickly and politely which helped me a lot to compare and choose the best tour for me.
The tour service was great, we were able to go to all the places we wanted to go. We were able to see almost all the animal we wanted to see (due to the season, and they’re WILD animals so it can’t be promised that there will all be there). Our tour guide, James ,worked so hard to look for all the animals for us. He also told me a lot of information about Kenya, the animals and the cultures which were very interesting.
I would highly recommend Beacon safari and will use it again if I have another chance to go to Kenya again.
US
Email Andrew Gable | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beacon Safaris is awesome!
My girlfriend and myself both went on our first Safari and trip to Kenya with Beacon Safaris. What an amazing trip!
We planned our trip with Robert and had a very smooth process figuring out our trip and sending the payment. Once we arrived into Nairobi airport we met our driver for the week Ken.
Ken is undoubtedly the best safari driver and such an awesome human! We saw the entire big five on our 8 day safari and could have easily stayed for another week with Ken and the amazing wildlife. He was able to guide us around the park with ease, teach us about Kenya, and get us in the perfect position for amazing photos.
I would never hesitate to recommended Beacon Safaris and Ken to anyone I know.
Thanks again for the awesome trip,
Andrew & Hillary