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Nick   –  
United States US
Visited: January 2020 Reviewed: Feb 17, 2020

Email Nick  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

The review below is the personal opinion of Nick and not that of SafariBookings.
Overall, I give you 3 stars as customer service wasn't the best. Our safari driver was very good!
3/5

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.

Isabella   –  
Italy IT
Visited: August 2024 Reviewed: Sep 3, 2024

Email Isabella  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Unforgettable Safari in Kenya - August 2024
4/5

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)

Milena Suarez   –  
Ecuador EC
Visited: May 2024 Reviewed: Jun 8, 2024

Email Milena Suarez  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Fast attention
4/5

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)

Ian   –  
Netherlands NL
Visited: February 2024 Reviewed: Mar 16, 2024

Email Ian  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: 2-5 safaris

Great experience and amazing nature. Communication could be a bit better.
4/5

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.

Harald and Tina   –  
Denmark DK
Visited: February 2023 Reviewed: Feb 25, 2023

Email Harald and Tina

Great Round-trip Kenya and Tanzania
4/5

Fantastic experience! We watched the big 5 and many more animals. It was a rough travel because of the roads!

Jesica   –  
Argentina AR
Visited: August 2017 Reviewed: Aug 30, 2017

Email Jesica  |  20-35 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Great experience
4/5

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 :)

James Miller   –  
United States US
Visited: July 2016 Reviewed: Sep 11, 2016

Email James Miller  |  35-50 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

Awesome experience at Masai Mara and Amboseli
4/5

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.

Mutindi   –  
Kenya KE
Visited: January 2016 Reviewed: Aug 25, 2016

Email Mutindi

They are the best to offer tours! My experience was one of the best.
4/5

The communication was very much ok.The service was excellent

Kiilu   –  
Oman OM
Visited: May 2015 Reviewed: Aug 10, 2016

Email Kiilu

I and my friend we decided to visit the Bienvenido Tours and Safaris .we connected Nakuru,Masai Mara
4/5

Bienvenido Kenya Safaris is very nice and a better place to stay

Rodney and Wendy   –  
United States US
Visited: August 2024 Reviewed: Aug 25, 2024

Email Rodney and Wendy  |  50-65 years of age  |  Experience level: first safari

He was knowledgeable, accommodating, punctual and engaging and he navigated the safari well.
5/5

Our experience was fantastic! Communications flowed perfectly from USA to Kenya and back. We chose Bienvenido for the itinerary and the affordability. We have no regrets whatsoever! Our tour operator navigated the safari with skill and precision. His patience allowed us to come home with the most amazing pictures. I would love to do business with Bienvenido again!

Average User Rating
4.6/5
Rating Breakdown
  • 5 star 71
  • 4 star 8
  • 3 star 3
  • 2 star 4
  • 1 star 4
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