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
IN
Email Tapan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Trusted operator. Vacation delivered as promised.
Mike, who looks after the bookings, etc was very helpful right from day 1. He gave the best rates on Mara Sopa Lodge and overall was very helpful and quick in responding to all travel related queries. Our guide, Patrick, was a very informative and experienced guide. His great sense of humor kept us entertained through out. Thanks to Patrick that we were able to watch Cheetah up-close. I would definitely recommend Ancient Wild Safaris and book thru them again.
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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.
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Email Garima | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Enjoyed the experience in Kenya!
Mike was great from the beginning, he replied to all my queries very patiently and in a very friendly manner. We took a 12 days Safari covering Kenya and Tanzania. The Kenya safari operated by Mike was a really great experience! We had travelled with Joseph and Stanley (Stano). Both were great guides.. Stano had amazing eyes, he could spot an animal when no one could see it. They both had amazing knowledge about the parks and animals, and made our experience really great! Thanks everyone!
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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.
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!!
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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 David | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
great guide
Our guide, Joseph, was incredibly knowledgeable about the wildlife. He was also quite kind and had a good sense of humour. He picked us up from our Nairobi hotel and we went to Amboseli first. There were many elephants and a great view of Kilimanjaro when the weather permitted. Then we went to Nakuru, but for whatever reason, nobody around that time was seeing any rhinos, so it wasn't too worthwhile of a stop - everything we saw there could be seen in other parks. We stopped briefly at Lake Naivasha on the way to Nakuru and took a boat trip, seeing many birds and hippos. That was worth it.
The Kenya portion of our safari ended at Masai Mara which was so majestic. We saw the big 5 all quite close (except for rhino). Joseph was in constant communication with other guides on his radio to take us quickly to any interesting sightings.
He drove us to the Tanzania border to meet our new guide. That worked out smoothly, and was a much better alternative to what had been originally suggested to us by the Tanzanian tour provider - a drive all the way back to Nairobi and then the "tourist shuttle bus" to Arusha.
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Email Don | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Driver for the afternoon.
I was coming into Nairobi in the morning and wanted a driver for the afternoon to visit the Elephant and Giraffe sanctuary parks. The hotel offered a driver but was 3 times the price than was the local going rate was. I contacted Ancient Safaris based on positive reviews from Trip Advisor. I arranged wit Michael to have a driver meet us at 3pm and stay with us for three hours. Michael was great communicating with me ebfore we made final arrangements.
On the day before our trip, I was busy getting ready to travel and didn't confirm the pickup right before we left. However, on the day of our arrival, a driver showed up at 3pm as promised and we had a lovely afternoon at a reasonable price. I would definitely use Ancient Safaris again and highly recommend them if you need a driver in Nairobi.