One of our experienced guide and staffs
Bienvenido Kenya Tours and Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 1992)
- Member Of:
- American Society of Travel Agents
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $110 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
for a custom tour
Your request will be sent directly to the operator
If preferred, you can contact the operator directly
Reviews
US
Email Nick | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Overall, I give you 3 stars as customer service wasn't the best. Our safari driver was very good!
Last month our travels in Kenya were to Masai Mara (2 days/2 nights), followed by a hotel resort stay in Diani Beach (2 day/2 nights). Leading up to this booking with Purity and Bienvenido, I researched several different companies, some of which were not on safaribookings.com, etc. One of these companies had great customer service, and I was nearly ready to commit and book, however, given the fact he didn't take credit card payments, I backed out of it completely. I explained this to Bienvenido and was looking for good service and more convenient payment options. Despite the fact I mentioned this, I found it difficult to book since I was 2 continents away (and there was a 9 hour time difference). I had higher expectations with Purity, and customer service is so very important to me, I found the process of things very strange and just different. We were asked to send different information and documents later on and it just wasn't as organized as it should've been. The service was kind and courteous all along, but there was too much of a delay in getting back to me about what we needed. Perhaps it's due to experience and it's a newer company, but I don't know why for sure. However, I did appreciate (eventually) having our transfers all set up, but again it was very last minute that we received the info. We would ask Purity for the details, but then sometimes there was no response. Delayed again. However, she would always get back to us, told us to relax and be patient. I'm not sure why if I paid in advance and was on top of things and diligent, why we had to wait sometimes days after she originally said she'd get back to us. This was my first safari, and the actual safari was spectacular. The wildlife was out of this world! The tent in Miti Mingi was just okay, with some electrical problems at times and there was NO hot water. That definitely lowered the score. On the flip side, what did raise the overall score was our safari driver, Boniface (I hope I have this correct)! He was such a great driver, very personable, patient, and went out of his way for us. It was excellent customer service. Good job!
The second leg of our travels took us to Diani Beach. However, before we got to the beach, we had to travel 5.5-6 hours from Masai to Nairobi. Due to the hard rains the evening before, we had to take a detour, so this ended up delaying us far too long. Some of the safari group members were forced to leave early with us instead of staying one more day (one group member was not too pleased). It made me feel a bit uncomfortable, but I tried to ease the situation for him. Whether he complained to management or not, I do not know. He became a friend to me however. :) Great members on the trip made for a fun time also! Anyway, Boniface dropped all of us off, somewhere about 2 hours from Nairobi (where each person picked up their transfers). I was getting nervous and he reassured me you guys will make your flight to Ukunda (Diani Beach). It turned out everyone else in both safari vans had been picked up for their transfers before us. That left us all alone still waiting! We had a 3:20 flight and it was not until about 1pm I believe before our driver picked us up (with our luggage). Imagine that. Not what either of us wanted for sure. He drove like a madman and obviously knew he was under pressure and stress. It was like the Daytona 500 (which is today as I write this), and he somehow got us to the airport about 2:45. At this point we still had to go through security and pass through the other one after being dropped off. We raced to the gate, said we were in a hurry, and somehow...with all of this craziness and stress of thinking we would miss our flight for sure...I asked the woman behind the check in counter if the gate was still open...and she said, "Yes!" Amazing. It was way too close for comfort, but we made it. It was a miracle that we made it. However, this could have been avoided with much better planning on the company's part. That's why it is best to get to the airport 2-3 hours beforehand, esp. when you hire a company to plan everything for you. I think I'd go with another company next time, however, the trip as a whole was priceless. My first trip to Kenya was incredible! Thanks for reading. I hope you publish this, because Bienvenido Kenya Tours can learn a lot from our experience, as well as others. I am appreciative for some of your efforts, we were just disappointed in some of the service as a whole. I had higher expectations than what we received.
HK
Email Annie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent customer service Kennedy
Good value for money. Solo traveler mid range 8 days Safari Tour. Saw all big five through this journey up close. It was an amazing experience. Highly recommended.
CA
Email Matthew | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great Safaris that could use a little more organization
My partner and I recently finished the 11-Day Mara Nakuru Amboseli Serengeti Ngorongoro Nairobi Safaris.
Kennedy, was very helpful in the planning process. There were a few times where I asked specific questions that went unanswered, but in general our back and forths were good.
Our time in the parks was great. We had many rare and fascinating animal sightings and our guide was great at positioning us for optimal viewing. I wish that our guide had been a little more forthcoming with information though. He would answer questions but not volunteer too much. Additionally, on the Kenya side, we were only provided 1L of water per day. This is not enough, especially in 30+ degree weather.
The accommodations and food were good. I would advise people to bring battery packs and take advantage wifi when it is available as both electricity and Internet will often not be.
The safaris had some issues with organization and professionalism. On our very first day, we sat at the office for an hour after being picked up. We were told that it was because other members of our group were late. Then, after discussing with those travellers, we discovered they were told they were kept waiting because we were late. It is ok to run late in the morning but it is very unprofessional to blame tourists to one another. Another issue we experienced was due to a typo in the itinerary that I was provided during the booking process. The date of September 13th was forgotten, so after the 12th, the itinerary was off by a day. This was a big issue as it forced us to spend an extra day and night in Arusha at the end of the tour. This was money we did not intend to spend. It also caused concern at the Kenya-Tanzania border because the date of entry on our visas was the 15th when we were actually crossing on the 14th. Lucky for us the border guards understood. Regarding the border crossing, this was not handled well by the company. Our guide dropped us off at the border without any information on what shuttle we were taking or when it was leaving. Instead, he told us to just trust his friend that was there. This friend had no association with the tour company and was obviously inebriated. If this wasn't stressful enough, once we arrived at the bus depot in Arusha, the representative from Seven Wonders (the company running the safaris on the Tanzanian side) failed to collect us so we had to take a cab. This was not a great day. The organization was also lacking in Tanzania. We were collected on day one by what turned out to be the wrong tour so we had to switch the next day. This was not a big deal but decisions on what tourists were going where and with which guide seemed to be made on fly each day.
Despite these hiccups, the safari did leave us with many great memories and positive feelings. It is good value as a budget safaris and earned the 4 Stars I awarded it. I would choose it again if I had the opportunity.
Recommendations: 1) While planning your safaris, make sure to scrutinize the schedule; 2) Be flexible. The itinerary will not be strictly adhered to; 3) If crossing the border, make sure your guide provides you with a shuttle number; 4) Buy water when you can (particularly in Kenya); 5) Take advantage of electricity/wifi when it is available
Email Chris | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic value for money
The tour was everything and more than I expected. Kennedy answered all my pre trip questions promptly. On one morning, however, I was left not knowing what time was pick up and felt I could have had a lie in! All in all great value for money and I would go again in a heartbeat
IT
Email Isabella | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unforgettable Safari in Kenya - August 2024
I just finished an incredible 5-day safari in Kenya with the company "Bienvenido Kenya Tours and Safaris" and I wanted to leave my review because I had read them all before leaving, so I hope it can be useful to someone!
We spent the two days exploring Lakes Naivasha and Nakuru, and the next three days in the Masai Mara. The places we visited were truly spectacular and worthy of documentaries. Seeing all the "Big Five" was a breathtaking experience, and the Masai Mara gave us landscapes and encounters with wildlife that we will hardly forget. So in general the lakes are beautiful, but the Masai Mara is absolutely not to be missed.
A special praise goes to our driver, who demonstrated extraordinary skill in driving even on bumpy and dangerous roads. He was friendly, kind and always available, happily accommodating our requests to stay longer to observe certain animals. His punctuality and professionalism made the trip even more enjoyable.
However, it is right to highlight some aspects that could be improved. Low-cost safari organizations, and I mean all companies in general from what I perceived, are very disorganized. We often changed groups and found ourselves having to wait for the time to collect participants from different hotels, which caused delays and an increase in the time spent in the car. Also, on the first day we had to use a private car due to the lack of available seats in the compartments, after waiting two hours at the meeting point, creating a bit of confusion at the beginning... Finally, of lesser importance, it should be considered that in group safaris it is possible to come across different types of people and the group dynamics can influence the general atmosphere.
Despite these small inconveniences, I would do the safari again tomorrow without hesitation. It was a unique and fascinating experience, which I highly recommend to anyone who wants to live an unforgettable adventure in Kenya.
(automatic translation from Italian)
EC
Email Milena Suarez | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fast attention
I discovered the operator online, at first I obviously had doubts, however, Kennedi helped me a lot with all her answers. The transfer was punctual, the Meals (8/10) and spectacular activities.
Thank you very much to the team, I hope to travel with you again soon.
(automatic translation from Spanish)
NL
Email Ian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience and amazing nature. Communication could be a bit better.
We had a very satisfactory experience during our 8 day tour that included Masaai Mara, Tangarire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro. The safaris were amazing. Although we opted for the budget tour, we were surprised a few times with upgrates in our accomodation. Food will not be a highlight of this trip as it's not usually not very varied.
The guides drove us around the parks and they make a huge effort to show us all the animals. They would always stop if you ask for and wait for you to take pictures. However, they not always provide a lot of information about the animals all the organizational details. They mainly focus on driving and show us the animals.
In general the tour was very well organized and everything worked out, but the communication could be a bit better. Bienvenido mixes a couple of other tour operators, which was not clear to us, so a few times we didn't fully know where to go or who to follow. We also didn't have enough information of the logistics to move around and we had some last minute changes, although we understand that it's not easy to put such a trip together. We have to say though that Kennedy answered all of our emails and messages straight away and was very helpful.
Great Round-trip Kenya and Tanzania
Fantastic experience! We watched the big 5 and many more animals. It was a rough travel because of the roads!
AR
Email Jesica | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
We had a great experience with Bienvenido. We hired a private safari to visit Amboselli, Lake Nakuru and Masaai Mara. The van was in good conditions and our guide, David, was really helpful. He was willing to answer all our questions and search for the best places to see the wildlife.
We highly recommend this company :)
US
Email James Miller | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome experience at Masai Mara and Amboseli
I had my awesome safari in Kenya with this company and I enjoyed from airport transfer to the days in the wild. I had an awesome driver guide who had knowledge about the animals and attractions. This company made my visit to Kenya enjoyable and worthy.