Our Kenya and Tanzania guides smiling to a photo
Oakland Tours and Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Member Of:
- Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) & Kenya Tourism Board (KTB)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $130 to $320 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Reliable organisation
From the beginning, Felistus was a very dedicated and patient organizer, she answered every question I had very soon and was very helpful. The trekking to Point Lenana was beautiful, and with funny guide Elijah, quiet cook David and nice companion Joy we had a very good time. The bandas were very simple but clean and nice, and less cold than a tent. Transport to and from the gates was also good.
QA
Email Rajesh M. R. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very well organized trip,excellent lodges and very cooperative driver.
Well organized trip with excellent lodges and very good Safari driver. Initial response from their management through mail and WhatsApp for finalizing package also was very good.
CA
Email John | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great SafariExperience, despite the accommodations
We booked this private Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru safari online although it was a bit more expensive than others exactly like it, thinking the increase in price would upscale the experience just a little. But we had the same accommodation as others we talked to at our two overnight stops who paid less. The first, Manhattan Camp, in the Masai Mara, was very run down. Maybe thirty years ago when it was built it was a great place. All that left of ‘great’ is the gardens. The zipper on out tent did not work. The mosquito netting had holes in it. The bathroom was a shower I did not want to step in, a shelf mhammered together from old wood was hanging on the wall, and a toilet that had a lid but no seat! The camp entry/reception was a mud pit. This place has simply given up. The food was as basic as possible: either spaghetti, rice, mashed potatoes at every meal all served with the same ‘beef’ sauce. Over and over. The dining hall was big and uninteresting. It did however have a massive tv in the bar section which, when the electricity was on (rarely) was blaring soccer games. Pleasant-not! Hardly ‘dining’ experience. A safari camping experience is one thing but this camp has deceptive older photos and dares to call itself a ‘resort.’ Online it states that each tent has a kitchen. Not ours!
The second was a hotel at Lake Nakuru (City Max) in a very very sketchy neighbourhood. Secure but you don’t want to walk around here at night. Grumpy daytime front desk staff and manager. Night front desk was good. Restaurant with maître de and two uniformed wait staff. But, again, the food was miserable. I pushed away the dinner after a few bites as did a few of the other four couples in the restaurant. The room was good. The beds were good. But this neighbourhood is noisy, way into the night. Our room was directly above the kitchen early, so early mornings there was banging pits and pans, etc. I complained about this to the manager but all I got was a blank stare. As for the wifi, although this place claims to have it throughout - forget that. We just gave up on it. It does work sort of in the dining hall.
So, as far as accommodations are concerned, this safari is not just budget but very very budget.
The best part of the safari was Robert, our driver/guide. We had a safari van with openable roof all to ourselves. Robert was a great driver and an informative guide. He was sensitive to what we wanted and made sure we were always having a positive animal viewing experience. We saw almost every savannah animal you could think of . So that made up for the questionable acccommodation. Ask for him if you are still going to book after reading this review.
The owner of the tour company, Felistus, was quick to respond to our emails and even got us onward train tickets to Mombasa. So she is good. I am not sure however that she has recently or ever visited the two places we overnighted in. She and all others who use them should think again.
‘Budget’ does not have to mean ‘inadequate’!
AE
Email Karen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Felistus arranged our tour on very short notice.arrangements were good n gave us a good deal.
I would say Felistus n the entire team did a fantastic job. And exceeded our expectations, n made Mum n me have a wonderful n memorable holiday. I would certainly recommend Oakland tours to friends n family.
QA
Email Gabriel Olushola | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was awesome
They rendered a very good service and communication was excellent, they lived to my expectation. am looking forward to visit Kenya again during my next vacation because of the service rendered to me by them Please keep it up.
NG
Email Ife | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
great experience
My contact person at Oakland Tours and Safari was Felistus, she was very prompt to replying any email and very professional, upon arrival my guests had a wonderful holiday experience and of course a gift from the Oakland Tours and Safari team.