Explore Africa Holidays Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2000)
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $120 to $300 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
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Reviews
BH
Email Ren Pou | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Well Organized & professional Tour
Well Organized & professional Tour done by Explore Africa. I had opt for 4 days safari including Lake Nakuru. In additional, i had taken the Baloon safari too. Our Guide was very knowledgeable and aware about the circumstances. Highly recommended.
Email Jane | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Efficient and friendly
Communication was prompt and everything organised on our behalf, hussle free. The tour was reliable and value for money would recommend them any time and day.
Email Bobby | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent service!! I have already booked another holiday in December.
Their communication, service, was amazing and what I liked most is the way they keep time.
US
Email Chris N. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall excellent value and highly recommended
I just came back from an 11-day / 6-park safari in Kenya and Tanzania. I found the safari on this website, and corresponded exclusively with Dennis Solomon. Dennis owns Baboon Budget Safaris in Nairobi and apparently takes bookings under several different entity names, including Explore Africa. Even though all correspondence came from Explore Africa, the actual company behind it was Baboon.
Communication with Dennis by email was excellent starting with my very first inquiry. Everything was explained properly and although there was little room for customization of the schedule or vehicles, he made that clear upfront and did not try to upsell me.
Once in Narobi, I was met by a company rep at the airport and taken to a hotel I had booked separately. In the morning, the same friendly gentleman, George, took me to Baboon's offices in the center of town. It is best to book a hotel near city center, or at least between the airport and city center as traffic in Nairobi was really bad in the early morning. I made the whole payment for the safari in cash at Baboon's office. I didn't know it but it’s best to make the payment in $100 bills, as pristine as possible. I paid in $20s but fortunately I had enough bills in a good condition.
I spent about an hour at the office, and together with another couple was taken directly to Masai Mara. It was a long journey, about 7 hours net of stops. Our driver/guide was Simon Kanyi, and he was excellent. The accommodations in the 3 parks I visited in Kenya (Masai Mara, Lake Naruku and Amboseli) were excellent for the price. Two of those were in permanent tents with bathrooms, and at Lake Naruku it was a decent hotel. Masai Mara to Lake Naruku, and Lake Nakuru to Amboseli were both about 7 hours. From Amboseli's south entrance to Namanga was about 2.5 hours net of stops.
The transfer to Tanzania went without a hitch, with Simon dropping me at the border, and a Baboon-contracted agent, Abaz taking me through the border point into Tanzania. Yellow fever certificate was required but the vaccine can be had at the border for $50, and there was an even cheaper alternative. At the border, I boarded a little bus to Arusha that had been prepaid by Baboon. I spent about 2 hours at the border, and then the journey to Arusha also took about 2 hours. The bus dropped me off at the hotel, Ambassador, which was really excellent and the best accommodation on the entire trip. The next morning, a van picked me up from the hotel and drove me to a camp at Lake Manyara, about 1.5 hours, where the Tanzanian driver/guide, Spear, was expecting me together with 5 other tourists. After an hour at the camp, we departed for Seronera in Serengeti, a 6-hour long trip net of stops. We also visited Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara. The rest of the overnights in Tanzania were spent in field tent camps, without permanent tents. There was warm water at one of those camps, but no towels at any of them. The Tanzanian driver/guide, Spear was friendly but drove too fast through the parks and was reluctant to stop or wait for people to enjoy the sights. As a result, the safari experience in Tanzania was not nearly as good as that in Kenya but still acceptable for a budget safari.
On the way back, Spear drove us all the way to Arusha and dropped us off at the hotel. The next morning, I was picked up at the hotel by a van, driven to the bus station in Arusha, and onto a little bus that took me all the way to Nairobi airport, all again prearranged and prepaid by Baboon. The journey from the border point at Namanga to Nairobi took about 2 hours.
Overall, I was very impressed with the organization and punctuality of Dennis's operation. It took a lot of people to make everything happen, and absolutely everyone was there and on time and there were no glitches. My expectations in that regard were far exceeded.
Since it was February, everything was green and the dust probably much less than in June-August (it was still quite dusty). I liked the people we met, including the people from Baboon, as well as the camp personnel and locals in towns and cities. Without speaking the language, Kenyans and Tanzanians appeared similarly friendly, but it seemed to me that Kenyans were more outwardly happier. The roads were better in Tanzania. Both countries have some extreme poverty and corruption, examples of which I witnessed in traffic police interactions with our drivers. Of the 6 parks I visited, Serengeti had the most animals, Masai Mara and Ngorongoro were most picturesque, and Amboseli did not have as many animals but great views of Killimanjaro. However, I personally liked Lake Nakuru best, as it was small and packed with animals and birds. Sunrise on the lake was amazing. For photography, best time was between sunrise and 9 am, with haze becoming a problem later. All six parks, but especially Amboseli, Nakuru, and Manyara were great for birds.
ES
Email sergio | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellence service & quotation. Great manager Solomon.
Good and marvellous days in Masai Mara, Serengeti & Ngorongoro crater during 7 days with this touroperator. Great value for money. Great services and we spent a excellence experience during our combined Kenya-Tanzania safari
DK
Email Finn Jacobsen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
We have a great experience on the safari with Explore Africa Holidays. We knew that it was a budget and camping safari, but in real is was exactly what we came for and what we expected to meet in Africa and therefore a part of the experience. The arrangement worked perfect, the food was good, the time spent and parks was good and so impressive. Hotels was good, with clean beddings and towels and at camping the sleeping bags was newly cleaned.
Thank you very much.
DK
Email Martin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience!
It was a great tour with the team! We got a pickup at the hotel and everything was just great. We had some problems with the payment but all went well because of the help from the employees from the company.
They changed the route of our tour, so it was the other way around. But it was not a problem at all, and our guide was so good and listening.
We saw all we wanted, the Big 5 etc.
Masai Mara is a bumpy ride. But this isn't because of the cards. The roads isn't great at all. For nobody. If you are getting sick of driving. Remember the drivesick-pills!
Will recommend the company to others!
DE
Email Sandra and Lars | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very happy with our 7 days safari (Masai Mara, amboseli, Nakuru)
Price Quality ratio was really good.
Josef, our tour guide, was very friendly, helpful and flexibel. We really could have not had it better.
The campsites were clean, food was nice. You really cannot expect it better from Africa. Budget Hotels were fine as well even taking into consideration that they are budget hotels.
And if you are a fan of africa you will see in Kenia all that is expected to see. Big five -that was not so important for us- but we saw them, Masais, schools, Kilimanjaro...
A dream was made true :-)
Our Kenya-Tanzania safari
To start with communications were excellent, they were very helpful in discussing alternatives as we
wanted a private tour just for two of us.
To start with Kenya had better accommodation than Tanzania, but the guide in Tanzania was excellent.
Enjoyed the safari very much and recommend these guys to organize your tailormade safari.
Thanks
US
Email Derrick | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mind blowing. Amazing experience I would do it again ,..............................................
Had the best service ever. . . ...................