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
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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 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 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!!!!
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 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 Dr. Ramaswamy samavedi | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
wonderful budget camping safari to kenya and Tanzania
we went on a 11 day trip to kenya and Tanzania. the service By Michael and his team was excellent. We were received at the airport. we visited & game reserves, Masai mar, Lake Nakuru, Hellsgate park, Lake Maynara reserve, Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater and Tarangire national park.
The driver cum guides Joseph and Ziggy were very knowlegeable and very courteous. They were very patient in showing the animals and birds. We saw all the big carnivores and herbivores from close range with wonderful photogaphic oppurtunities. We also saw plenty of birds especially Flamingoes at lake Magadi In the crater.the 6 nights in tents were very comfortable and the food was very good . As two of the members in my family were vegetarians they took good care of them. the budget hotels were fine except for no hot showers available in Kenya.Overall it is a wonderful game viewing experience and very close to nature and the animals. It is great value for money as it was a budget tour. I highly reccomend it for budget travellers and for persons who are keen on seeing as many animals as possible. The highlights were the tuskers and cheetahs at masaimara, the white rhinos at Lake Nakuru, the gorge and cycling at hellsgate, the lions esp treeclimbing lions at serengeti, the abundance of animals at the creter with breatholing scenery and the elephant hers at Tarangire. Kudos to Michael and his team for this great experience
SK
Email Tomas and Katka | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great time with Ancient Wild Safaris
We joined 6-day safari (Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Amboseli) with Joseph as guide. Firstly, comunication with Mike for perfect. He prepared everything we wanted. On tour Joseph was perfect and made the safar really excelent. We answered every our question, learned us a lot about animals and also about all Kenya. We had so great time with him. If you are looking for some safari company, this one is right choise..:)
Would highly recommend Mike for your Bookings
Great company, Great rates and Great people. We took 5D tour to Masai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli. Everything was perfectly taken care of. Any adjustments that we wanted while on the trip were promptly taken care of. Mike was prompt in communications and even arranged for few surprise bonuses for us.
JP
Email tomoya | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
everything went well
I had a private sufari tour for 2d amboseli with this company.
they offered flexible and reasonable tour for me. both of tour consultant(MIKE) and tour guide(MOUR) were friendly and professional.
so that especially this tour guide was really kind and friendly, I can get really comfortable and good experience.
with them, everything shall going well, I think.
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Email Mila | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing holiday
We are very satisfied with all services we got from Ancient Wild Safaris.