AMS Directors and Tour Guides
Amazing Memories Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- ASTA, KATO, AMREF & Eco Tourism
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $130 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
DE
Email LESSER | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
9 day amazing Kenya safari
Thank you so much to our guide Steve for our amazing safari experience!
We had looked at different safari providers and after asking for quotes, we felt that Anne was the person who understood our wishes the best, and could incorporate some individual touches to our safari, e.g. we had planned to bring a friend to Amboseli Park with us and wanted to add Lake Naivasha into the itinerary including a boat tour. During the planning via email we discussed the choice of minivan vs landcruiser and lodges to stay at.
Our safari started at 6.30 am mid December on a rainy day, however Steve and Anne picked us up from Nairobi Airport and our trip to Amboseli National Park with Steve started well, as we started to wake up and get to know Steve and vice versa. By the time we had arrived, the rain had stopped and we had already seen and stopped to see couple of giraffes and zebras outside the park on our way.
The choice of lodges suggested to us by Amazing Safari were great, always a kind welcome by the staff, very nice and clean tent lodges including mosquito nets, good food, either buffet or by menu. At the Flamingo Hill Camp at Lake Nakuru, at that time of year, we were the only guests by chance and they went out of the way and we had lunch close to the pool and a romantic dinner near the bar. The camp also had several bird species in their trees which I could observe and take photos off. Osero Camp in Masaii Mara had the best food and on our last evening at 6pm, we were lucky enough that a bushbuck stopped and looked at us while we were sitting outside the tent!
Out of all the places we visited, there was just one place, the Ark in Aberdare, that was slightly disappointing. It had rained the past days and rained in the evening, therefore buffalos, hyenas, birds, warthogs were at the salt water hole, however, no elephants or lion. Furthermore, one group was very noisy and smoked on the lower balcony and used a drone in the morning. We were glad that the staff actually told the smoker about the camp rules, however even though it was forbidden to use the drone, they still used it anyway.
Steve is a wonderful guide, he drove us safely from the airport to Amboseli, to Aberdare, to Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha to Masaii Mara and back to Nairobi. We had interesting discussions with him about Kenya, the world, the wildlife, any topic we came up with during our drives, inspired by what we saw or heard. He introduced us to the different kind of animals, and was able to find animals, that were hiding high up in the trees or almost hiding in a hole. We had a lot of fun engaging in searching for sometimes more difficult to find animals such as lions, cheetahs and leopards. Steve knew which animals we were particularly interested and managed to find ways in the different locations to get close to observe for example the flamingos in Amboseli (!),and hippos and crocodiles in the Mara river! We felt very safe in the landcruiser with Steve, even when the terrain become slightly muddier in some cases, as we occasionally had rainy nights and took some of the less travelled paths.
Thanks to Steve, we were able to take many great pictures and he managed to exceed our expectations of the safari! We take so many impressions home and highly recommend Amazing Safari and Steve!
Email Huma | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Holidaying in Kenya/Tanzania made easy by the professionalism & dedication shown by Amazing Memories
I'm so glad I found Amazing Memories Safaris after reading reviews on TripAdvisor. From the moment I contacted Anne and told her about the kind of holiday I wanted, she looked after my every request with the utmost attention to detail. As a solo female traveller who wanted a private tour of Kenya and Tanzania, and someone who was interested in photography, Anne made sure all my needs were met. I had a 25 day tour which covered Nairobi and 12 national parks and reserves across Kenya and Tanzania. With this much time on the road and covering so many national parks, you'd expect that some things might not go according to plan, especially as you get close to the peak Christmas period. However Anne's careful planning and excellent recommendations meant that I had an almost problem free tour around Kenya/Tanzania. All my hotels were amazing with the exception of one, Voi Wildlife Lodge. I cannot blame the shortcoming of this hotel and the hotel management on Amazing memories as it was the most recommended hotel in East Tsavo, but unfortunately it was just no good and I was glad to be out of there after one night. I passed my feedback about Voi back to Anne who took the matter up with the hotel.
The best part about choosing Amazing Memories was their superb team of guides and partners in Kenya and Tanzania. I spent the bulk of my time with Daniel as my guide in Kenya. After reading reviews from others, Daniel came highly recommended as he was also a photographer. He certainly did not disappoint. Daniel is just the kind of guide you want on a tour like this. He's so easy to get along with and goes out of his way to ensure all your needs are met .. and his photography skills are phenomenal! My other guides; Joseph and Wilson for the Nairobi city and National Park tours, Donald for the Tanzanian part of the tour and another Joseph for the last leg of my Kenyan tour were also amazing. I felt truly fortunate to have such a wonderful team of people looking after me while I was there. It's all a testament to the professionalism and dedication that Amazing Memories Safari's has to ensuring their guests have the best experience possible.
All in all, I had the trip of a life time and it was made possible by the wonderful team at Amazing Memories. I would have no trouble in recommending them to everyone for any tour they wish to take in Kenya or Tanzania. You will not be disappointed.
MX
Email Javier Gomez | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Honeymoon! (7 day Safari)
The Airport reception was great, we had trouble with our luggage with Precision Air (DON'T FLY WITH THEM!) but Amazing Memories did everything to solved our problem and we got our bags back.
My correspondence with Anne was always very professional and helpful, I received several quotes but Anne's work was the best by far, as well as her recommendations. We worked out a perfect itinerary with great hotels. Loved all my hotels but FS Serengeti was out of this world.(Maramboi, Manyara, FS Serengeti and Neptune).
I would definitely recommend choosing Amazing Memories. I have already recommended them to all of my friends and family.
Thank you!
US
Email D&W | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful 2-week Tour!
Two of us took an incredible 2 week vacation in Kenya and Tanzania in January. We started planning this trip 16 months ago. The first company we booked with turned sour, but luckily gave us a full refund. Upon excellent reviews on TripAdvisor, we ended up then booking with Amazing Memories Safaris and what a great decision that was. Anne (general manager) was great to work with, answering my emails & questions and planning out & booking our trip. We were on a budget, so we needed a mid-range priced tour and Anne delivered. We were impressed with the camps and lodges we stayed at; most were 3.5–4 Star ratings. Not super fancy, but they were surprisingly comfortable and enjoyable. The autos we traveled in weren’t new or perfect, but they got us through the mud and we LOVED the pop-up roofs for viewing.
We visited Samburu, Ol Pejeta, Lake Nakuru, Naivasha, Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro & Amboseli. Can't really say what our favorite park was as they all were unique and wonderful. Our driver/guide in Kenya was Joseph; with 20 years experience he was such a great asset and really made for an excellent tour experience. It was uncanny how he could spot the animals, network with other drivers, and was just simply a friendly, thoughtful and pleasant person to be around. We happily invited him to share a few meals with us, just to spend more time with him and hear of his life, tour experiences and Kenya.
In Tanzania, we were turned over to a partner company called Migada Adventures Tours & Safaris. (Evidently Kenya drivers can’t do Tanzania, and visa versa). Donald was our driver for 3 days; a good driver. Again, Anne coordinated all this for us, and going through immigrations/visa at the border, going and coming, was easy and simple.
The only negative issue we had (and it wasn't really their fault, I guess) was when we arrived into Nairobi at 10pm on a Sunday night, there were only 4 Kenya immigration/visa agents processing all the passengers on our Boeing 747 plane. It took us 2.5 hours to be processed and there was still more passengers behind us that waited longer. Not smart on Kenya’s part. Our driver, waiting for us, left… guess they figured we missed our flight. We had to take a taxi to our hotel. Amazing Memories apologized and refunded to me the money I spend for the taxi. But beyond that issue... our tour was WONDERFUL and was truly a trip of a lifetime.
We highly recommend Amazing Memories Safaris and would choose them again for tours in East Africa.
Now, if interested… some tips for fellow travelers, from our 2-week tour experience:
1. Take lots of new or newer USD for tipping, Visa’s, village visits & drinks at camps. We took about $1200; part of which was $200 in new $1 bills and they really came in handy tipping porters, housekeeping, waiters and security people. We found out that tips left in ‘camp tip boxes’ don’t always trickle down to staff. Staff genuinely appreciated the personal tips. Most camps & roadside shops, took Visa/MC, but not all. We did withdraw $200 in Kenya Shillings from ATM – probably only needed $100.
2. Tipping: We followed Anne’s advice of tipping $10 to $20 USD per day per person to our driver/guide and $10 USD per day per room to Camp Tip Box.
3. After reading lots of blogs on the internet on what clothes to take on safari (i.e. only beige colors; no black, white, blue, camo, bright colors), our experience was that it really didn’t matter… take & wear what you have and are comfortable in. Don’t go out and buy a whole new wardrobe. You will see people wearing everything. In warmer parks… we wore shorts and tank tops, comfortably. We found our converted zip-off pants to shorts, invaluable.
4. It sounds like "high season" is July-Sept, when the Migration happens. Yes, we missed that, but we are so happy we went in "low season" as the large crowds in the parks were gone, temperatures were comfortable, hardly any bugs, and in two of the camps... we were the only ones there. Very personal service & memorable.
5. We really didn’t need it, since we didn’t see many bugs… but before we left for Africa, I treated our shirts, pants & shorts with Sawyer Insect Repellent; just spray on and let dry. Our Friends that do a lot of traveling swear by it for controlling bugs.
6. Ahead of the tour, we were a little concerned about the food we would eat in East Africa. Don’t worry… Lot’s of great food at camps and lodges and we never went hungry. Lot’s of rice.
7. Wi-Fi was spotty or non-existence at most lodges and camps we went to. Don’t expect to rely on it.
8. Expect some long days, riding many hours on dirt, dusty & bumpy roads. We found the roads in Tanzania are better than in Kenya. I wear contacts so can’t tolerate dust. I took with me some compact padded motorcycle goggles (Global Vision Aerodynamic Eyewear) and they really saved me a couple of days in avoiding the dust.
9. Last comment-Our opinion: You will spend a lot of money for a trip like this. You will enjoy your vacation in Africa more if you go with the right attitude. Not everything will be perfect. Don’t be demanding. Just go with the flow and you will then be pleasantly surprised and appreciate the African experience more.
CA
Email Marija | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An incredible safari, they live up to their name! Amazing !!
My husband and I were on a 5 day private safari in Amboseli and Masai Mara. Prior to reaching out to Amazing Memories we already read so many incredible thing about them on TripAdvisor. Anne was incredible to communicate with, we changed our dates and general plans a few times before finalizing the trip. We spent 2 days in Amboseli with Daniel( we read a lot about him here and how amazing his photography skills are and he truly is such a talent you will want to follow him on social media). We loved it!! In Masai Mara we spent 3 days with Daniel who met us at the Keekorok Airport. He was amazing!! We saw the Big 5 and learned so much from both of our drivers. I cannot say enough good things about them! Our accommodation was great, Kibo was really nice and Sarova Mara was incredible. Overall we were incredibly fascinated with the Masai Mara and cannot wait to go back there one day. We will for sure be reaching out to Amazing memories safaris again! Thank you to the whole team for making this an unforgettable 5th wedding anniversary. At Kibo they surprised us by throwing us a mini party with cake and incredible songs! We will never forget that and it was all thanks to Amazing memories and their team!
DK
Email Katerina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
It really was an Amazing memory
Thank you for a great safari and a great time together with Steve, our driver. We have been very happy with everything, from the first contact everything has been done very professionally and everything has been as agreed. Even when I misunderstood a detail regarding airport transfers AMS fixed it and gave it to us complementary. We are very impressed with the service and will recommend you to anyone. Steve was a great guide and would spot all the animals and tells us all about them. He is also great company and we have truly enjoyed our time together. Thanks to all of you from the whole family, we will be back.
US
Email Bob Loveland | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A wonderful 2nd safari with Amazing Memories Safaris.
I have written an article called "Return to East Africa" about my experience with Safari Bookings and Amazing Memories Safaris that appears in the print and online versions of the American publication, International Travel News. Here is the link to it https://www.intltravelnews.com/2019/return-east-africa .
Email Phil and Rachel, Wiltshire, England | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
What a way to spend your 50th Birthday! - A fabulous safari experience in Tanzania with friends
We have just come back from a wonderful 12 day safari in Tanzania booked via Amazing Memories Safari's.
It was absolutely fabulous. We went for my husband's 50th Birthday with two great friends of ours (Karl and Jill) and I'm going to be honest it was mainly Karl we have to thank for most of the organisation. We came back from another trip and he produced a proposed itinerary and we said 'perfect! book it' so we did.
All the communication we had with Anne before the trip was really good. Emails were answered very promptly along with any queries that we had – about visa’s, tipping, change of itinerary etc – she was great ensuring that all our concerns were sorted and answered.
We sorted out our own flights so the 'safari' started when we were picked up in Arusha by our guide, Santos, who looked after us throughout our 12 days. We travelled to many destinations over the 12 days - Ngorongoro, Serengeti North, Serengeti Central, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and Arusha staying is some really wonderful lodges (Serena and Sopa groups).
Ngorongoro Serena Lodge – wonderful accommodation. Bedrooms with the double doors and a patio over looking the Ngorongoro Crater – absolutely wonderful. An elephant came on to camp and we spent a few hours observing him going about his day – just fabulous!
We booked an ‘extra’! Sundowners on the crater rim on the eve of my husband’s 50th Birthday – in the photos it looks very serene, calm and peaceful with cocktails etc. In reality for us it was windy and freezing but still with the most spectacular views – that’s was you get for being born at the end of May! We had a great little team who served us warm canapes and chilled (extra chilled as it was so cold!) gin and tonics whilst the sun went down. Just fabulous! We had the best time wrapped in our Masai blankets
IN
Email Jyoti Prakash Sahu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable and trust worthy travel partners.
While deciding the package and the places of stay, Anne helped us through the entire process. She was very prompt and detailed in her response which helped us communicate in a better way. We had taken a flying package to Naboisho conservancy and the price quote for the entire package seemed better than the price quote of other travel/tour operators. From the time we landed in Nairobi till we got back to the airport after 6 days, we had a hassle free and a good experience. Everything was well organised and we had a smooth running. We stayed at Eagle View camp in Naboisho conservancy, which is built on the top of a hill overlooking the grasslands. It offers a great view and the service at the camp was amazing. I would highly recommend staying at this camp. Even the food was good at all times. The safaris were also very good and we had great sightings of the big cats and other animals and birds.
Overally, Amazing Memories Safaris planned and executed the tour really well and we are back home satisfied, carrying an experience of a life time.
US
Email Merry | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
A wonderful, completely satisfying trip where we were well taken care of and informed by great guide
Communications from the US were quick and responsive. No complaints, really! Saw all we wanted to and more, accommodations were far more than adequate, the guides were truly knowledgeable and enthusiastic.