Beacon Safaris Team in Masai Mara
Beacon Safaris
- Located 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)
Reviews
ES
Email Dario & Elena | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great first safari experience thanks to Beacon Safaris and specially to John, our guide!
I discovered this company in safarybookings.com, I booked with them because of the good reviews I read, and I'm so happy I did it. Since the first email, Robert perfectly adapted the 4 day Massai Mara - Lake Nakuru safari to our needs and acted all the time in a really professional way. And when we arrived we were so lucky to have John as a guide, friendly, informative and so skilled! It was amazing his knwoledge of the parks and the animals, when we asked him to find some animal he always managed to do it, and the best moment was when he took us to the place where we were going to see the great wildeebeest migration crossing the Mara river... We couldn''t know how, he already knew the place were the animals were going to cross, and we were the first ones in the spot, in the best place to see it and take photos...increcible! A experience we won't forget, and we are sure it would not have been the same without John. Thank you Beacon Safaris!
CA
Email Vinay Sarin | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent experience (with couple of exceptions)
I had booked on behalf of a party of 7 (3 couples and an adult child). Pre-trip communications were good. The safari was mostly as expected and our driver/guide, Antony, was excellent. He was especially good at finding out about places where things were happening and getting us there quickly, and into a good viewing spot - most of the things that make up a good safari tour. Sadly, but through no fault of his, we did not sight a leopard but did run into the other big 5, and plenty of zebras and wildebeest, including a river crossing by a herd of the latter - a spectacular sight.
I would note two exceptions, both of which relate to the central office and not to our driver/Guide, but which led me to rate less than "Excellent":
- When our itinerary had us setting out in the morning to arrive at our destination for lunch, we did not expect the ride to be almost 7 hours, i.e. a very late lunch. This was entirely the result of the fact that the road into and out of Masai Mara turned from paved to a dirt road (very bumpy) well before the reserve, which was the only thing in the itinerary that surprised us. It would be helpful to note the major transit times in the itinerary. If this had been our only gripe, I would have given the excellent rating.
- More serious was our baggage situation. Prior to arriving for the tour, the group had visited Cape Town and Victoria Falls. I had advised the tour office that we would be travelling with one checked bag and one carry-on each and could consider leaving some bags in Nairobi to be picked up on our way to departure from Nairobi airport, but was assured that the LandCruiser had ample room to accommodate that. And that is precisely what we arrived with. Unfortunately, there was not sufficient space for all the luggage nor sufficient time to rearrange our packing (we arrived Nairobi very late night preparatory to a 7 a.m. departure). The matter appeared to be resolved by the fact that a smaller group was undertaking a similar tour with what we were told were two minor differences - at Lake Nakuru they were staying in a different place but not far and they were leaving from Nairobi on a different flight, but in a similar timeframe. Seemed like a simple solution for them to transport some of our bags. In reality, further differences emerged - the other group had some other excursions also planned so our departure/arrival times were not perfectly coordinated. It also appeared that they were unhappy having to carry our bags and having to make some timing accommodations for that. Finally, we learnt that they were not in fact flying out of Nairobi the same day as us. As a result, we spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to arrange for the bags to arrive at the airport with us, without risk of any delay. This preyed on our minds and the time spent on this detracted from our enjoyment of the tour. On the last day, we agreed that we would take with us the bags of 5 of us who were leaving on an earlier flight and that the remaining 2 of us leaving on a later flight would pick up our bags from the other vehicle once it arrived to the other group's hotel in Nairobi. Well, even that plan got changed as we were advised, at the eleventh hour, that the other driver had some other engagement as a result of which we met on the roadside somewhere and transferred our other bags into our vehicle - making our last hour pretty uncomfortable. It seems that the other group's itinerary and the other driver's schedule should have been known by the tour company in advance and that we were misled as to what the true situation was. It also seemed to us that any solutions they proposed were to their convenience and not ours. Hence, the reduced rating.
Antony, thanks for your service. Despite the issues noted, we did enjoy.
US
Email Gwen V. | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 Day Taste of Masai Mara Safarie
Greetings. I wanted to give a big shout out to Beacon Safaris and our awesome guide John Jackson. We were 2 ladies traveling alone from the USA. Every part of the safari exceeded our expectations. From Robert helping book & select our tour to John being a very fun and an informative guide. We felt 100% satisfied with our accommodations, 100% safe and 100% over joyed with every minute we spent in the Masai. John suggested for us to take the hot air balloon ride, it was the pentacle of our trip!! Very few times do I want to return to a vacation spot....but Kenya and all its beauty & lovely people make me want to plan another trip as soon as I can!!! Blessing to all at Beacon Safaris!
NZ
Email Brian and Kathy Marshall | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Chris organised out safari which was way above our expectations in both accomadation and excitement
Our driver was Johna he was easy to get on with and great sense of humour,great in getting us close to the action and good photo positions.Driving through towns and small villages was very interesting seeing how locals live.Ol Ppajeta,Sambura,Aberdares were all great with excellent game drives seeing big five the number one for my wife and i was Maasai Mara this place is unbelievable and a must see with lion prides,leopards,cheetas,black and white rhino ect in great numbers. the road being rough in parts is well worth it.So thank you Beacon Safari and Johna for giving us an adventure we will never forget. Thankyou
Email Rajiv | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Safari - Experience of a lifetime
We went on a four day safari of Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru with Beacons Safari. From the beginning, our experience of Beacons Safari has been outstanding. Responses to our emails by Robert were always extremely quick, professional and courteous. He showed great flexibility e.g. greeting and picking us from airport at the early hours of 3.30AM. But the main reason that our Safari was exciting, interesting, fun, informative and an unforgettable experience was our guide John. John was very knowledgeable, very enthusiastic, very keen (and one with a fantastic eye sight!) - making sure that we see, hear and experience the beautiful wildlife of Kenya! We saw the Big Fives, the Cheetahs, the Crocodiles and also the fabulous Wildebeests Migration – the Mara river crossings! Thanks John!! All our logistics and accommodations by Beacons were just perfect – making our Safari truly memorable – the best ever holidays for my family and I.
Email Fiona | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya Unveiled - at the heart of the people and wildlife
You know when you have made the right decision when your 12 and 14 year old sons on day 2 say to you..."mum this is the best holiday ever!!!" This was in the middle of the Masai Mara up close and personal with the raw wildlife! Our guide Kenneth from Beacon Safaris was fantastic! From the moment we met him at Nariobi Airport and he gave us a welcoming friendly big smile I knew we were in good hands. Not only did we feel safe throughout the whole 7 day safari but Kenneth was a fountain of knowledge and information which really enriched our experience. We chose the Kenyan Premier Safari - 6 nights across 3 of the best Safari Parks in Kenya including the Masai Mara, Lake Nakura and Amboselli - a great mix of differences between the parks and the variety of animals plus a great way to really see the diversity of the Kenyan countryside from dry plains to wet hills to the many lakes. For our family this was a brilliant, raw and non-manufactured or commerical safari experience, one we will never forget!!! Thankyou Beacon Safaris and Kenneth our guide for taking us on this great adventure - we were blown away!
SA
Email Is'haq | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceed Expectations
The service was exceptional from the very beginning. I got prompt response after initial contact and all subsequent correspondence were very cordial, helpful, prompt and professional. The safari itself was lots of fun and we had an enlightened patient guide and cautious driver in one person, Mr Omari. He was very experience and competent with good awareness of the local cultures, the various animals and the environment. Accommodations in all three locations were perfect with good food to boost. We were a family of 5 and the children had a blast. Beacon took care of all logistics from the moment we exited the airport to departure out AF Nairobi.
US
Email Shelly | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing knowledge, professionalism, service, and accommodations while viewing incredible animals.
I had a wonderful experience with Beacon Safari and have already recommended them to several close friends planning trips to Kenya/Tanzania. The staff, led by Robert, was very knowledgeable, professional and flexible with my schedule and interests. By very prompt emails, Robert worked with to me design a safari that fit my wishes for the trip and my budget. After some discussion, I ended up doing a private safari so that I could be sure to see and do exactly what I wanted. Josh, my guide on the safari, was very friendly and fun to be around and had an extensive knowledge of the animals in the Maasai Mara. He never rushed or pressured me and was very accommodating to what I wanted to see and do in the park. At my request, he took me to visit a Maasai tribe village which was incredibly interesting and not touristy like I expected. The mid-range priced lodge (Mara Sopa Lodge) I stayed in was also very nice. I was very surprised by how luxurious it was and it had great food, a pool, entertainment, etc. I really was so pleased with the entire experience and amazed by all the animals we were able to see in just a 3 day safari. My safari was during the migration so, we literally saw thousands of zebra, wildebeest, impala, water buffalo, etc. We also saw giraffes, lions, hippos, crocodiles. I was amazed by how close our Jeep got to the animals. It was a life changing experience.
Josh and Robert were two of the kindest and most fun people I met in Kenya. I cannot recommend Beacon Safaris more highly!
CA
Email Phil | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Kenya Safari Experience
The trip was everything we expected and more. As a photographer I wanted to experience the true nature of Kenya and Beacon looked after everything to make our experience truly unique. Robert booked all our hotels and organized the trips and accommodations, he also made great recommendations for us on the trip. Johnny our driver was awesome and he always got us to the animals fast so we got to spot lions, leopards and everything else almost daily. He knew the park roads well and accommodated our needs at all times. I would definitely recommend Beacon for anyone considering a Safari with a trusted company. Also consider flying into some of the parks as the roads can be very long and are rough, a short flight from Maasai Mara back to Nairobi was well worth the extra costs. Check out photos from our trip on http://www.pbeckermann.com
AE
Email Philippe | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well organised and good follow up.
After an initial glitch where our contact had our dates mixed up, the recovery plan worked well as we stayed in two different lodges in stead of one and were able to see more animals in two different locations.
Having said that the second lodge ( Ashnil Game Camp, our initial plan) was much nicer than the first one (Sarova Mara Game Camp). Ashnil is positioned on the edge of the Mara river and is a great location to view the Migration crossing.