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
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.
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.
Great experience
Just came back from a 3-day safari in Masai Mara with our friendly guide Anthony. It was an awesome time; saw lots of animals (no leopards or rhinos, though) and had a great experience. Robert was professional, quick to respond to changes in our itinerary and quick to respond to our inquiries. Anthony was friendly, always smiling and knowlegeable about the park, the animals and Kenya in general. Sad to see that so many animals seem to have disappeared compared to 20 yrs ago, but would definitely recommend safari to anyone, especially with Beacon. We stayed at the Sopa lodge, which was luxurious, had great food and drinks! Relaxing to come back to after a day of driving on rough terrain :)
IE
Email Michael Lynch | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Short April Safari
Everything went well from the pick-up to the drop-off and all in between. The service and lodge were both excellent and we got to see many amazing animals thanks to our top-class guide Anthony who really tried his best throughout the trip. The Mara itself looked great and it was a privilege to spend even a short time there. I would certainly love to see it again in the not too distant future.
FR
Email Charlyne | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing memories
I whole heartedly recommend Beacon Safaris: we made an a la carte itinerary and they were very accomodating and at a reasonable price. We visited 3 locations in Kenya (Amboseli, Lake Naivasha and Maasai Mara) and had an amazing experience in all of them. Our guide Carlos was very nice and gave us interesting insights on local wildlife. Thank you for these beautiful memories!
US
Email Ignacio Estrada | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely Amazing Experience!
We had an absolute blast on our Safari trip with Beacon Safaris. Everything was smooth, we got picked up right on time at the location we shared ahead of the trip and from there our driver Yustas (spelling might be off) ensured everything went without a hitch!
We went to Hells Gate and did a biking Safari + hiking, ending the night with a boat ride on Lake Naivasha. The next day we went to Masai Mara where we got to see all the animals real close! Including lions, jaguars, cheetahs, buffalo, giraffes, etc... and came back to Nairobi 2 days later feeling more than satisfied. Cannot recommend enough! The lodging was very nice and all the meals provided were great too. But what really made the trip worth it was our driver. He was nice, fun and had sooo much knowledge about the animals that he shared with us throughout the trip. We really felt we could trust him and he did not disappoint. We will be back for more!
SK
Email Eva | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome
We had such a lovely guide Benjamin who was so enjoyable and have such a great interesting information about animals masai and culture. I recoomend this safari
CN
Email Constance | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bon adventure! You can feel both risks and surprises here!
As most of reviewers' feedback, Robert replied slowly after the deposit. We felt risky and anxious while waiting for his response. But when we arrived at Nairobi, he assigned Ken to meet us in time and all the activities are arranged well.
Ken is really a good guide and driver, he is the big surprise for our safari experience. He knows everything. He can tell all the animals, birds and plants.
If you have a big heart, Beacon is one of choices; if you're interest in animals knowledge, and a well-arranged safari, Ken is the best choice.
CA
Email Sophia Amstutz | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Our tour operator was friendly, professional, and knowledgeable.
My husband and I booked a private tour with Beacon Safaris and opted for the safari Land Cruiser and we have no regrets! The driver picked us up from our hotel on time, made sure we had appropriate and safe stops while on the road, and was a great mix of personable and professional.
The hotel lodge that we stayed at on the tour was also exceptional and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there! We felt that the pricing was extremely reasonable for everything that was included in the experience. Would highly recommend and would book with them again.
Email Ludi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic once in a lifetime experience!
We initially booked a 4 day / 3 nights Safari with Beacons (Robert was our contact for this) in a private van.
Due to unforeseen industrial action at the airport our arrival flight was unfortunately delayed by a day.
Although we lost an important chunk of the Safari time - Robert and Harun (our guide) were really helpful and helped us make the most out of the shortened experience.
We ended up doing 3 days instead of 4.
We spent 2 days in the Masai Mara at the Mara Sopa lodge and 1 in the lake Nakuru at Nakuru Sopa lodge.
We were super lucky to see many many animals - basically seeing a National Geographic documentary live just a few meters away from us!
Harun was really friendly, great at spotting the animals and making his way through the other cars for us to have a fantastic view.
The lodges were absolutely beautiful too and the staff very welcoming and friendly.
Food was delicious in the Mara Sopa lodge, and a bit less in the lake Nakuru but still good. They had buffet with some local dishes and various options.
Given the circumstances I am glad we went for a private tour in these lodges.
This allowed us to be more flexible with our time (as our delay didn’t impact anyone else) and the lodges were inside the parks - something you may want to consider when you book as the commute is quite long.
Overall I am delighted with this once in a lifetime experience! Truly magical!