THE A TEAM
Axis Africa Expedition & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2016)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $280 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IN
Email Priyanka | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Memorable and peaceful
good accommodations, better arrangement and the best guide. Edwin and Mike as driver and guide are blindly the best. They will make sure that you forget little glitches and go back with a broad smile.
Email Colin | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic service and safari from start to finish
Communication, service, guide, help, could not have been better, fantastic!
Overall safari experience including guide could not be beaten, fantastic.
The only let down was one nights accomodation was below par, but then I did chose budget, I would book it again
Email Sharon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent...,an experience that would wish once more ,motivating and aspiring to majorities. Fantast
Convincing, welcoming, educative and also supportive in any way out...a great pleasure
CA
Email Alex | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Budget Safari
We chose a 5 day safari that included Masai Mara, Lake Navisha and Amboseli and opted to extend to 6 days. A few things to keep in mind when booking your own safari 1. The mini vans used for the safari are not the most comfortable and 2 people out of a possible 8 will NOT have window seats (but will have access to the roof). 2. They are not four wheel drive so if there is a lot of mud you WILL get stuck. 3. There is a lot of driving between parks (4-6 hours depending on where you go).
Our guide Albert was great. He took into consideration what everyone in our group wanted to see and paid very close attention to the radio to make sure that we didn't miss anything. He was also a fantastic driver.
Our accommodations were a mixed bag. Lenchada Tourist camp has a baboon problem and several tents have holes in them where the monkeys sneak into during the day. The food and staff there were great though.
We also stayed at Navisha Resort, which was fantastic. We were able to take a boat to crescent island and walk around with the animals. Definitely a MUST do if you are tired of sitting in a car. In Amboseli we stayed at Kibo lodge which was a luxury camp site just on the boarder of the park. Gift shop was over priced and we had the worst bloody mary from the bar- but everything else was fantastic and the perfect place to end our adventure.
Over all, very good value for the money, well worth it.
TN
Email Hiba | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari experience with our guide Dennis
We did a six-day safari tour with Dennis as our guide:
Days 1 - 3 we were in Masai Mara, staying at Mara Lenchada camp.
Day 4 we went to Lake Nakuru, staying at Lanet Matfam Resort
Days 5 and 6 were spent in Amboselli national park. As there weren't enough people interested in this portion of the tour, it ended up being a private safari. We stayed in Amboselli AA lodge.
Planning and communication with Lennox by e-mail and Whatsapp were smooth and timely. We booked at the last minute, but it was reassuring that Lennox was highly responsive to our questions, requests for modification, and concerns.
We arrived in Nairobi and although we had planned to take an Uber to the tour meeting place (far more affordable), Lennox insisted that we go with his driver who would avoid the congested main airport road. He promised that we can pay the same price that we saw on Uber; however, upon arrival, the airport driver demanded far more - $25 USD - which is definitely overpriced. If you do some straight from the airport, I definitely recommend using Uber or Bolt, which are closer to $11 or $13 USD.
Now for the safari itself. Although our original safari was supposed to be in a van, Lennox informed us on the day of that he gave us a free upgrade to a Land Cruiser. Even if you don't get a free upgrade, having seen both vehicles I DEFINITELY recommend going for a Land Cruiser. The experience would be completely different as you can really go offroad and see more animals that way. We were very glad that we ended up in the 4x4.
Dennis, our guide throughout the six days was knowledgeable, friendly, accommodating, and eagle-eyed with the animal sightings. He ensured that we saw the "big 5", and also listened to our requests for specific animals that we were hoping to see. We got lucky to see some cheetahs playing with a gazelle before eating it, birds feeding on an animal, a sleeping leopard, and other cool sightings. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see a migration across the Mara River even though this is supposed to be the season for it. Dennis informed us that the migrations don't happen every day; they can occur sporadically at unknown times, and it is hard to anticipate them. We found out that there was a big migration the day after we left Maasai Mara.
On the way to Lake Nakuru, we had a quick stop at Lake Naivasha, where we did the "boat safari" to Crescent island at extra cost ($20 per person). This was totally worth it, as we got to see more hippos up close at Naivasha, along with so many birds and other wildlife.
Lake Nakuru National Park is beautiful. The landscape is lush and varied, and we had a long morning game drive there, which still felt far too short. We missed the rhinos in Maasai Mara, but we did see one here. If you have the time, I really recommend spending a full day in Nakuru. It's totally worth it.
Amboselli Park was also so nice. During our full day there, it was too cloudy to see Kilimanjaro. However, we got to see plenty of elephants and giraffes, along with various other wildlife. Lunch at observation hill was lovely. The following morning we set out for a sunrise game drive, which was totally worth it, as we caught a glimpse of Kilimanjaro during the brief half hour when the sky cleared up, and we got to see a family of lions feasting on a wildebeest. It was an incredible sighting, and one only possible in the early morning I would imagine.
Now some notes about the planning of the safari:
1. The "3 days in Maasai Mara" thing is misleading. The first day is spent nearly entirely on the road. There is time for a two-hour game drive in the evening, but given the vastness of the reserve, this meant that we couldn't go too far in, and didn't get a chance to see much. Likewise for the third day, where we just had two hours in the reserve in the early morning before hitting the road to Lake Nakuru. One full day in Maasai Mara was nice in that we saw a lot; however, because our accommodation was so far, we didn't have time to make it to the Mara Triangle, which is arguably THE place to be during migration season. In fact, we spent very little time by the river. I recommend that you emphasize this as a priority from the start.
2. Mara Lenchada camp was very basic. Our tent didn't have hot water at first; after we reported it to management, they fixed it and instead we got brown murky hot water. The tents were clean, food was acceptable, and there was enough time with electricity running for us to charge our devices. However, it is about 20 minutes away from Maasai Mara gate, and the road is absolutely terrible in between. Be prepared for a very, very bumpty ride
3. Lanet Matfam was an adequate resort. They did not inform us of this ahead of time, but they cut the electricity at 9pm, so ensure you charge your devices beforehand. The food wasn't too bad, and they did have hot water; however, I am not sure how safe it is. When I had the shower running, I felt electric shocks every time I tried turning the faucets. In the end I used a towel to turn them on and off. Be careful. Also, there were far more mosquitos here than in Maasai Mara.
4. AA Amboselli Lodge was very nice. It is close to Amboselli gate, the rooms are spacious, clean and very comfortable, and the food is varied and delicious. This accommodation was midrange and we thought it was excellent value for money. We had a great time here.
Overall, the safari was good value for money. Communication and service were excellent, nearly everything went as originally planned, and the guide made it all worth it. I highly recommend Axis (and definitely Dennis) if you're looking for a budget tour and want to maximize your safari experience!
ES
Email Marina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Helpful, friendly and profesional
It was a good xperiencie. Nice acomodations, good food and very confortable places.
The guide Edwin was a good guide he told us good explanations about the animals and answer all of our questions.
Lennox help me in all I had needed.
Very profesional!
DE
Email Rocco | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
First Safari everything worked really well.
James is a really good driver. Felt safe All the Time. You feel that his passion is doing safari.
Expeditive, whell organised, good camp, great driver Denis! eat
That was an unique experience. I am quite satisfied for getting me from the hotel, Land Cruiser riding with excellent driver Denis. He is an experienced driver and we were able to get close and to shot great pictures of so many wild animals in Massai Mara.
NL
Email Nayden | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good quality for the price
The driver was pretty kind and dedicated, he did his best to show us as many animals as possible.
The car, although was quite big, was not actually very confortable, and it is something to keep in mind since you are spending lots of hours in there. Even if there are plug-ins to charge your phones, none of them worked at any time, so you'd better bring your bankpower.
When arrived to the tents, it is good enough, don't have big expectations, the hot water can take up tp 15 minutes to come and there is just one plug-in in the tent. But also, keep in mind where you are, good thing: internet connection available.
The restaurant is actually poor, not much choice and not good quality, so you'd better bring some snacks with you just in case.
The visit to the massaai village can be tricky, you find out, only when you arrive, that you have to pay 1000 KCH entrance fee, they show you how locals live and they ask you for more money, then they take you to the community school and again they ask you for more money and so on... be careful.
In general view, it is worthy as long as you don't have great expectations.
TR
Email Anil | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable tour company
Our tour was a shared 4x4 vehicle and a 2-night 3-day tour with accommodation in lenchada camp. We were picked up from our hotel on time. Before the tour started, we paid a total of $680 for two people. Everything was as described. On the first day, we did a 3-hour safari until sunset. On the second day, we chose a safari to the depths of the masai mara for the whole day, and we did not do a village tour in masai mara. Because it would be unnecessary to make a short tour again on the 3rd day. On the 3rd day, we made a tour of the village of masai mara. We reached Nairobi at 16:30 in the evening. We did not have any problems with eating and drinking, but you can take food with you. The places we stopped to buy souvenirs were incredibly expensive. We got much nicer ones cheaper at the airport. I guess the tour is a bit dependent on the driver. Our driver was Khalifa. Thank you so much for seeing the big five.
(automatic translation from Turkish)
