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
MY
Email Ram Anand | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Above Expectations
The Masai Mara Safari was our third safari experience in Kenya after Salt Lick and Tsavo East. It was our first experience with Axis Africa. Our tour was initially scheduled for April but due to lockdown in Nairobi, it had to be cancelled. Axis Africa were very accommodating in giving us a credit note to be used at a later date. I was very happy with this as we have had bad experiences in the past. From the the pick up to the drop off, all went seamlessly. The Land Cruiser was in excellent condition which was a good start and the tour guide Jack was excellent giving us clear information and planning everything well. All in all our experience in Mara is something we will never forget. Thanks to the Axis Africa team for this amazing experience.
SG
Email Angel Chung | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Safari
I and my husband and 2 friends joined 3D2N Masai Mara Safari tour started from 18jul2021, Jack was our driver who was professional, friendly and punctual. The game drivings were full of fun, the migration of zebra and wildebeest were stunning. Despite we already had taken a lot of great photos during the first and second day, Jack still tried his best to spot animals and great views for us during the last morning game drive, his attitude impressed me a lot. Thank you very much to Jack for all the effort taken.
Axis Africa Safaris did a great job.
Patrick and Angel
TR
Email B.. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
Amazing organization.
Our lagguge stucked in our arrival airport and they carried it untilmthe Safari hotel without extra. This was one of the unforgetable memories.
unforgettable experience
My Boyfriend and me had an amazing & unforgettable time.
Captain Khalifa who brought us safe from place to place was not just a great driver but also a super buddy, always very professional, spotting the hidden animals (the big 5 + a looot more animals) for us, has a lot of knowledge about Kenya and of course he has an incredible humour. :)
The chosen Hotels/Lodges were wonderful and we felt super safe.
Also the whole organisation was super easy & smooth.
We enjoyed every moment of these 5 days.
We highly recommend to go on Safari with Axis Safaris.
Thanks for everything!
AE
Email Sara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, Helpful and Extremely Professional
My husband and I had the 6 days private safari package, Edwin was our guide and accompanied us the whole trip. Amazing service from the start when we made the booking with Lennox to following up before the trip to the making sure we’re okay after we finished our safari. Cannot put into words the professionalism and kindness Edwin showed us, he made us feel at ease at every step of the safari. Thank you so much !
US
Email Gina | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, amazing and unforgettable experience from the best Safari tour guides
Short summary: amazing experience, amazing company, super responsive, very experienced tour guides, saw all the animals we wanted, exceeded all expectations.
Longer review: I have never left the U.S. before and was a bit hesitant but my husband really wanted to go on a safari for our anniversary so I agreed. Unfortunately, due to work, we weren’t able to plan this super well in advance and had a short time frame we could be in Kenya. We reached out to Axis Africa Safaris among other companies via safaribookings and received a really quick reply from Lennox, who was very responsive with us throughout the whole process (before and during our stay). He was the first one to respond to us actually, while the others took a few days. The email said we should hear from him in 3 days but we heard back from himthat day actually. We wanted a private tour guide for just us two for about 5 days and that’s exactly what we got. He sent us a very detailed itinerary tailored to us and booked all the accommodations needed. My husband also got to choose between lodges. This was just the preparation in advance. It was because of Lennox’s kindness, responsiveness and willingness to work with us that we chose Axis Africa but once we got here- it was even better than we expected!!
We were picked up from the airport and Harun (?) helped us get a SIM card. The next day Lennox and Moses greeted us with a sweet unexpected anniversary gift and we headed off to Hell’s Gate. Moses was our tour guide and he knew every location we visited like the back of his hand. He knows all the ins and outs of each place as he’s been doing this for a while. Moses is very friendly and would explain to us facts about Kenya, its culture, the animals, the history, etc. as we were driving. The boat ride was super fun, and the game drives were amazing. We chose not to go on the hot balloon ride as we wanted to be closer to the animals. We visited Lake Naivasha, Hell’s Gate National park, Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara National Reserve. Throughout the game drives, Moses encouraged us to ask questions about the animals but also would tell us facts about each animal that we would see. We really wanted to witness the migration so we waited for a bit to see the Wildebeest cross the Mara river. When they didn’t cross, he took us somewhere else in hopes of catching another herd crossing there. Moses knew of alternative places to go to see particular animals and migrations. He knows of a few particular cheetahs, for example, and where to look for them. He went out of his way so that we could get really good photos of the animals. He is an excellent driver and quick thinker. He knows of the good food spots, he gave us tips when we were trying to look for gifts to buy too. The land cruiser was very comfortable and clean. We saw SO many animals - Moses knew when and where to find them. We also had enough time to make a quick stop at a village and learn about their customs. Moses was very flexible and I would highly recommend him as a tour guide and Axis Africa Safaris to anyone hoping to have a fun and memorable experience. If you have any questions (especially if you’ve never really travelled before), please feel free to message me. We had such a great time and really loved the camps we stayed at! I will definitely be recommending Axis Africa Safaris to my friends and family. Excellent service, excellent value for your money, super reliable staff, amazing tour and tour guide.
TR
Email Berker | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent
It created amazing memories in our mind. The organization was well coordinated.
Our tour guide-driver-member of our group whose name is Kikitu was very energic from the first moment until the end.
Thank you all…
UA
Email Anna | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect safari
We are very grateful for the Safari we had. Everything was Perfect from the beggining till the end!
The food was tasty, the hotels were clean, they even washed the car every day for us!
Before we came Lenox was in touch all the time, answeared all our questions about entering Kenya or covid certificates. He helped a lot!
Our guide John made a Perfect Safari expearance for us, he did his Best to show all the animals for us. He helped with any question we had. All the organization was a high level!
We are very grateful to John and Axis African Safaris. It is a good safari company, you can be sure everything is gonna be cool
SA
Email Simon les | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hit the nail on the head.
Had a great time on the 3 Day Maasai Mara tour, I was fortunate enough to have Moses as my tour guide who made my trip really enjoyable with his positive attitude!
The food at the camp we stayed at was fantastic and had a really good time speaking with the locals in the area.
The transportation vehicle was great and was very pleased I opted for the land cruiser.
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!