Experience the Wildlife remains at Mara Masai
Ancient Wild Safaris
- Located In:
-
India
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2000)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $480 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
The tour company and guides were very professional, courteous and had a very positive atour use.
The tour lived up to and exceeded my expectations. Our tour guides in Kenya and Tanzania made our trip very enjoyable. We were out on the road early and since all the goddess communicate with each other, we never had an issue finding wildlife. We saw the big 5 within 2 days and got up close and personal. The accommodations were surprisingly good. The only thing that didn't live up to expectations was the food. Not inedible but certainly not that enjoyable. Otherwise the trucks were fine and the communication with this company was exceptional. They were very responsive and accommodating.
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Email Cristina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Best Experience of My Life!!!!!!
We booked a honeymoon trip with Ancient Wild Safaris to Samburu, Lake Naivasha, Hell’s Gate, and Maasai Mara because of the very affordable price and because those were the exact places we wanted to visit. Everything went Perfectly!!! From Michael who is fantastic and answered all our questions and requests, to the Wonderful and Experienced Guide and Human Being Joseph, to seeing all animals we could see in these parks (lions, cheetahs, leopard, giraffes, hippos, rhinos, crocodiles, zebras, wildebeest – the migration – elephants, baboons, monkeys, all types of gazelles, ostriches, buffalos, warthogs, and an incredible variety of birds) to the Kenyan lifestyle and the very welcoming Maasai village visit, and to the great camping and lodging, everything went perfectly.
Joseph is a fantastic guide. He is kind, knowledgeable, on time, caring, smart, and generous. We spent a lot of time on the game drives. He is well respected and liked by other guides and we always got tips about where wildlife was. We spent lots of time in quiet, observing lions (we saw 5 the first day on our 2 h evening game drive!!!! and at least other 10 the next days), cheetahs, leopards and all the other animals. We saw them walk, run, sleep, and mate!!!! We saw it all and it exceeded our expectations. We took fantastic photos. Joseph knows very much about all animals and knows the names of all the birds. He is very experienced and drove us exactly to the places where wildlife lives.
Because we told Michael we were on our honeymoon we got the most pleasant surprise – a free boat ride at Lake Naivasha!!! It was one of the most wonderful experiences of our lives. We saw hippos having dinner and then get in the water and play!! It was so much fun. They are very active and interactive. One family was more territorial and snorted water in the air when we approached. It was a blast!!!
Samburu is awesome. It’s a bit warmer there than in Maasai Mara but we saw many animals concentrated together. Lake Naivasha is fabulous. Right by it is Hells Gate!!!! Do not miss Hells Gate!!!! I learned how to ride a bike 5 days before leaving for Kenya so I could ride a bike in the canyon. It was amazing. We were alone with zebras, gazelles, giraffes, warthogs, and wildebeest. And the walk down the Hells Gate gorge is out of this world. Maasai Mara is everything you expect from savanna and more. All the Big 5 and so much more. We spent 3 nights and 2 days there, which gave us enough time to do different things.
Joseph was great with the schedule. Told us every night what time we would start next day (which was earlier than others) and what we will do. He was Always ready before us and the car was cleaned every night! On the way to Lake Naivasha we passed by a private conservation park and we could see about 7 rhinos chilling, which was so unexpected. We also stopped at a rug factory and at Thomson’s Falls which were great surprises. We felt always taken care of and guided to see the most.
We never got stopped on the road by the road blocks and police, which I heard happens for other drivers, and our car was in great condition on all the difficult roads and specifically to Maasai Mara. We never got stuck any where. In fact all other drivers on the game drive knew Joseph’s great car and good nature and we stopped to help other cars stuck in the mud. This was fun because it gave us the opportunity to get out of the car to take more photos and stretch our legs.
We had no problems with lodging. It was all we expected and more. Everywhere we had our own private bathroom and electrical outlets to charge phones, cameras, etc. Food was fantastic at the Maasai Mara camp. The village visit was lots of fun and a life changing experience. We were short on cash but the village people are happy to trade souvenirs for anything you can trade (bandanas, a sweater, raincoat).
I don’t have enough words to say how happy we’ve been with this tour operator and our guide. They even accommodated our traveling plans. We requested an extra day in Maasai Mara because our flight left a day later and that was solved in our advantage because we stayed with Joseph and did not change to a new group. Michael was very responsive and very eager to please.
We will go back to Kenya and we will surely use Ancient Wild Safaris again!! I fully recommend them for the best experience. They may serve budged safaris but they are of very high quality.
Thank you!!!!
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Email James | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience! Ancient Wild Safaris took amazing care of us!
My wife and I went on a 7-day safari to Samburu, Lake Naivasha, Hell’s Gate, and Maasai Mara through Ancient Wild Safaris for our honeymoon and we couldn’t have possibly been more pleased!! From the very beginning of booking, Michael was very helpful and happy to accommodate a few special requests we had (adding an extra day in Maasai Mara to the itinerary). They offered to pick us up directly from the airport, but we wanted to arrive a day early to help with the time change adjustment. Michael and Joseph (our guide for all seven days) arrived right on time at our hotel the next morning, and Mike went over the entire itinerary in great detail. Joseph was an amazing guide! He listened to what we wanted, kept track of all the animals we’d seen, and would continually find and spot more and more new animals for us.
We could not have asked for a more perfect tour guide than Joseph! He has been working in the safari industry for ten years and is extremely knowledgeable of all locations and animals, including being able to name every bird we spotted. He even keeps a couple books in the care of the animals and birds found in East Africa to share with his passengers. This was great when we wanted to learn a little more about the leopard we were watching sleep in a tree ☺. Everything Joseph does is to ensure that you have an amazing time, always saying that it is important that every client receives excellent attention when they’ve paid so much money and travelled so far. His van (which is four-wheel drive) is exceptionally capable, even pulling out multiple trucks stuck in the mud. The roof rises up about 2-3 feet (and is constantly open during game drives) and the windows slide horizontally so you can always snap great photos. He even has a power outlet installed in the van so you can charge your phone/camera while on game drive should the need arise. You are in excellent hands with Joseph!!!
We were on a budget safari and were very surprised at how nice the accommodation was. We weren’t exactly sure what it meant to be in a “camp”, but it was much more sophisticated than we expected. In every location we had our own private bathroom with a shower in our room, mosquito nets (not that we actually needed them), power outlets to charge electronics, and we received three hot meals a day (except when we were on game drives, in which lunch was packed for us), and plenty of bottled water was always available in the car with Joseph.
Thanks to Joseph we saw every animal we could possibly think of including all of the Big 5!! Elephants, rhinos, giraffes, all types of gazelle and antelope, topi, hippos, zebras, wildebeast, water buffalo, crocodiles, lions, cheetahs, leopard, hyenas, jackals, monkeys, baboons, dozens and dozens of different species of birds. The list simply goes on and on!! And Joseph always knew where to find them! The guides all have CB radios and because Joseph is so knowledgable of all the parks, whenever an animal sighting (e.g. lion or leopard) was reported he always knew exactly where to go.
While in Maasai Mara we toured one of the Maasai villages, getting to go inside their homes and learn about their unique culture and identity. This was a truly humbling experience and a highly recommended part of visiting the Maasai Mara park! The villagers were extremely friendly and welcoming, taking great pride in their home and eager to share with us.
An added bonus that I had not anticipated was the driving between the parks. This allowed us to see the beautiful Kenyan countryside and see what the country holds outside of just tourist attractions. As another added bonus, Joseph knew of and took us to several fun local attractions that fall on the route between parks. We really felt like we got to see Kenya!
An important note:
-The hotel we stayed in the first night didn’t want to exchange a $100USD bill because it was older than 2000, but Michael and Joseph took care of it for us. So be sure all the cash you bring was minted in 2000 or after, as many places won’t accept it due to the ease of counterfeiting.
An experience of a lifetime
Communication and service was prompt and Mike answered any questions or requests. Our Kenya tour experience was amazing.
Very basic information was given about arrangements to transfer into Tanzania and we often felt we did not know what was going on. Then on arrival in Arusha our itinerary was changed last minute by the contact in Tanzania (Abraham) this should have been addressed at the time of originally booking. Abraham stated that the time frame was not sufficient to do the tour we had booked. I feel that the change was also more convenient from Abrahams point of view.
However, our safari tours overall were wonderful and full of animals and unique experiences.
CA
Email Arjun | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Day Trip to Hell's Gate National Park and the Rift Valley
My wife and I did a day trip with AWS in December 2015. The tour and safari were both spectacular and the overall experience was excellent.
Joseph picked us up from the airport and made great time to the Rift Valley and Hell's Gate National Park. He was very knowledgeable, friendly and a great driver. While enroute we stopped at various picturesque locations and during the safari he not only found a wide variety of animals but also educated us on the flora and fauna of the area. The trip included a walking trip through an ancient riverbed canyon led by a local Masai. It takes a full day and is totally worth it.
Before the trip, the booking process and getting clarifications with Mike were very simple affairs and we would book with this company again, in a heartbeat.
ES
Email Nieves | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A reliable company
We were on a safari trip for our honeymoon with Ancient Wild Safaris at the beginning of July. We have to say that Mike was really helpful from the beginning. We changed the itinerary several times until it was perfect for us and he was very understanding and gave us good advice.
Our guide, Charles, is a really good man with a really nice character. He took care of everything during the trip so we didn't find any trouble. He explained us the animals behaviour and answered all our questions happily.
Talking about accommodation, the tented camps and hotels were good enough for us (similar to a 2-3 star hotel in Spain). If you are looking for luxury lodgings you should request it.
In our opinion, Ancient Wild Safaris is a reliable company and we highly recommend it.
Email Kamal | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Bespoke tour! Many thanks to Joseph and Mike.
My wife and I went for a trip to East Africa and Ancient Safaris organised a tour for us in Kenya. I have been in contact with Mike months before our trip. He was very responsive by email and then WhatsApp. Our plan was to stay in Nairobi for 3 nights before heading to Tanzania and Mike offered us two private tours actually. One to Naivasha and Hell's gate for one day and another to Amboselli for one night (and two half days) + Drop off at Tanzania's border. To be honest we were not expecting such an excellent service for the amount that we paid. Our guide Joseph was very friendly and knowledgeable about wildlife in East Africa. Chatting with him was a real pleasure. We learned a lot about Kenya and its people as well. Accommodation in Amboselli was luxurious! We were offered a spacious and stunning lodge in Kibo Safari Camp. I need to highlight that Mike was very understanding and flexible as we changed dates and plan a couple of times. I think the fact that Ancient Safaris is not one of those massive Safari companies makes them more flexible and able to sort out tours tailored to everyone's budget and plan. Least but not last, Mike was very trustworthy as we paid most of the amount by bank transfer weeks before!
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Email M Pare | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Bucket list adventure
My entire experience was amazing right from the original booking to the actual safari. Mike kept us well informed along the way. For the actual safar, Joseph was our guide and driver and did an amazing job. He gave us some options along the way and let us dictate the flow. Joseph already found us the "big five" on the first day and did his best to give us the best vantage point. By the end of the safari we had seen every animal on my list which was beyond my expectations. I highly recommend Ancient Wild Safaris!!
AE
Email Veena | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An experience worth lifetime !
Our Kenya tour experience was truly amazing with Ancient wild safari. Mr. Michael is very professional and is prompt in replying to any query put forth. It was a seven day trip which includes masai mara, Lake nakuru, Naivasha and Amboseli. Our driver Mr. Paul, who picked and dropped us from the airport was very friendly. Our guides Mr. Wanjao and Mr.Joseph had amazing knowledge about the parks and animals, and made our experience really great! We learned a lot about Kenya and its people as well. We were on a budget safari. The accommodation in every place we stayed was really nice. We had our own private bathroom with a shower in our room, mosquito nets, power outlets to charge electronics, and we received three hot meals a day. When we were on game drives, we had packed lunch. We are pure vegetarians. Our guides made sure that we received only veg food at all times. Thanks for this. At the end of each day, our guides would brief us about the following day’s plan and let us know what time we need to be ready for the next day.
Thank you Mr. Michael and your team for making this trip truly memorable.
I would also like to thank the website safari bookings.com which helped me find Ancient Wild Safaris.
In our opinion, Ancient Wild Safaris is a reliable company and we highly recommend it.
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Email Svenn | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A good budget option, but with some small flaws that could easily be avoided.
Made some great memories.
On the first days we went to Masai Mara and saw the great migration. I think we must have seen a million wildebest, and some of them crossed the mara river. We also saw lions, elephants, leopard, buffalos, cheetas, giraffe, sebras, ostriches, hippos, crocodiles, antilopes, warthogs and more.
On day three we went to Lake Naivasha for a boat ride. It was very beautiful, and well worth it. Not so many animals, but we saw hippos, sebras, wildebeest, and many birds. The main reason for going is the beauty of it.
On day four we went for a drive around lake Nakuru. Also a beatiful lake. The lake is famous for its massive number of flamingos, but unfortunately there was not many this time. However we saw rhinos, lions, baboons, sebras, giraffes, warthogs, antilopes, wildebeest, and more.
On day five we went to Devils Gate. We rentet bicycles and rode them through part of the national park with a guide. This was fantastic. On the bikes we past by many animals, and felt closer to them than in the safari car. We rode by gjiraffes, warthogs, buffalos, antilopes, baboons and sebras. In the end of the bike tour we went in to Hells gate canyon, that was very beautiful. The canyon is very narrow some places, and has natural hotsprings.
On day six and seven we was at Amboseli. This is maybe the best place to see elephants in the entire world, and is very scenic because of the dramatic view of mt Kilimanjaro. Here we saw more than hundred elephants, and the elephants was not so shy of humans, as many other places. This is a very beautiful place. We also saw some hyenas, sebras, gjiraffes, antilopes, hippos, baboons and more.
The food in general was ok. At the hotels and camps it was ok or even good, but we ate three times at the safari junction where the food was terrible. The accomodation, although budget was better than expected.
Miti Mingi Eco Camp in Masai Mara was right by the parks gate and rustic. The tents was quite big and had working hot shower, but no electricity. Some of the bedsheets should be thrown away. But overall a good camp with a very genuine safari feeling. The food was ok. We had two nights here.
Hotel Citymax in Nakuru was a nice and clean hotel with good food. We had two nights here.
Taphe Guest house in Naivasha was a nice quiet place. Friendly area, 15 minutes walk from town. However we did have a big outbreak of mold in our room. The food here was the best on the trip. We had one night here.
Kimana camp Amboseli was the best of the two camps. We stayed in a nice cabin with electricity and hot shower. The food was good, and both the cabin and restaurant had a nice view of mt Kilimanjaro.
The safari car was a rebuildt Hiace. The roof was liftet when on safari.
What could be better?
-The driving, especially the last 100km towards Masai Mara and in Masai Mara was terrifying. But to be fair, some of the people in our group did enjoy the ride.
-The day we where going to check in at Naivash we drove past Naivasha for 45 minutes, to eat at a restaurant at the safari junction. Everyone agreed that this place had terrible food, so why drive 2*45 minutes to eat here.
-Information was some times inaccurate. We where informed that biking in Hells gate would cost extra. The price given was the renting of the bike. But when we arrived we realized that in addition we had to pay to be allowed to bike in the park. And we also had to pay a bike guide.
The comunication was ok, but the information was not always accurate.
In Nairobi, Ancient Wild Safaris booked a table for us at Carnivore restaurant. We where told we had to pay in usd and that the price of 100 usd includet food and non alcoholic beverages. I also asked if this includet a provison for the company, or if this was the price the company had to pay the restaurant. I was told that this was the price the company had to pay the restaurant, so we decided to give something extra to the company for arranging it. Especially since it seems like it is a one person company. Arriving at the restaurant we found out that the price was lower, we did not have to pay in usd, and it did not include non-alcoholic beverages. We think it is very reasonable that the company takes a fee for arranging things like this, but doing it like this was not ok.