Bush lunch in Maasai Mara National Reserve
Tazama Africa Holidays
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2012)
- Member Of:
- AMREF, Eco Tourism & Tour Operators Society of Kenya
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $200 to $1,200 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Chad | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic custom 5-day/4-night Maasai Mara safari with Mike
I contacted Tazama Africa Holidays to see if they could do a custom 5 day, 4 night Maasai Mara safari for me, my brother, his wife and their two adult children - a total of five of us. I inquired about a custom safari as I wanted to combine Maasai Mara with the Serengeti and Ngorongoro in Tanzania. And while there are companies that include both Kenya and Tanzania, they seemed to include other parks. I wanted to focus on those three areas and doing a custom safari and piecing the two countries together allowed me to do just that by crossing from Maasai Mara into Tanzania at Isebania.
The communication with Antony was outstanding. He was very responsive and said he could arrange for our guide to drop us off at the border at Isebania. He gave excellent instructions for payment via wire transfer. He even upgraded our vehicle to a high-end land cruiser with roll-up windows for a more open viewing experience. Antony booked our accommodations at Mara Simba Lodge, which was very nice. The accommodations, food and staff at Mara Simba Lodge were excellent.
As good and seamless as my interaction with Antony was, it was our tour guide, Mike, who made our Maasai Mara experience truly memorable. It rained quite a bit on our first afternoon game drive, but Mike got us back to the lodge without any trouble. With over 16 years' experience in leading safaris, Mike knows the Mara like the back of his hand. He has even lead BBC film crews when they have come to the Mara to film documentaries. We saw so many animals with Mike: lions and their cubs, several cheetahs, leopards, elephants, giraffes, wildebeest, etc. Mike was constantly on his radio communicating with other guides and scanning the horizon for wildlife. With an uncanny ability of anticipating where an animal was headed, Mike would maneuver the vehicle to get us into the best spots for photographing the wildlife, all while being respectful of the other drivers and the natural habitat. Somehow, and I'm not sure how, he spotted a lioness in a tree just before it attacked a wildebeest. Mike also took time to answer all of our questions regarding animal behavior and Kenyan culture in general. He even explained the tribal culture in Kenya. We felt lucky to have had Mike as our guide. He was truly a joy to be around. By the end of the safari, he felt like our friend.
Because we had several days in the Mara, we were able to explore it in-depth without feeling rushed. We even did a full day in the Mara Triangle, a personal highlight for me. We started our game drives early around 6:30AM, for the best light, and usually ended around 5 or 6 PM.
I highly recommend Tazama Africa Holidays. You will not regret booking your safari with Antony and Tazama Africa Holidays.
GR
Email NIKOLAS-MARY | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
AMAZING JOURNEY-HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Even if it was our first safari experience, we are experienced travelers, that is to say we have traveled a lot in several countries in cooperation with many travel agancies and many guides. However the experience we had with Tazama Holidays was really unique.
We are impressed by their proffessionalism and their competitive offer/quote (make sure that any comparison is made with the exact same hotels).
Antony was very fast and clear on answering our emails but also surprised us by a) giving us as a present a dinner at Carnivore and b) booking for us the best tent possible at Basecamp Mara which both contributed to an unforgettable ending of our journey.
We had 8 days safari (Amboseli-lake Naivasha-lake Nakuru-Masai Mara) with a land cruiser and unlimited safari hours. It was all just perfect!!
Our guide, Jack was, what could we possibly say, unbelievable!! Experienced, willing, patient, smiling, pleasant, interensting, trustworthy and, in general, better than what we could ever expect. He made it possible for us to see all the animals of the places we went, in the best way. Do yourself a favour and ask for Jack. With only 4 days having passed since our return we miss him already.
Thank you guys for everything.
FI
Email Janne | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Provided the needed with professional touch
Our guide Jospheat was great. Always punctual, always kept his word and did not make empty promises. Also we saw many different animals, even when other safari guides could not locate them, our guides experience and knowledge was top quality.
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Email Jackie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful company - owner went above and beyond to ease our trip in Kenya and guide George was great
We had a great 4 day/3 night safari in the Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru with Tazama for our honeymoon. Antony was very responsive over email in the planning of the safari and answered all of our questions. He was willing to organize a payment option that made us feel somewhat more comfortable than just wiring all the money in advance (which in retrospect would've been fine if anyone reading this is having similar doubts). We also had issues paying for the visa online (a known issue - the website doesn't seem to like major American credit cards) and the timeline got down to the wire, but I called Antony about 36 hours before we were supposed to leave and he got it all sorted. A HUGE relief. Finally, my husband had left his wallet, camera accessories and e-reader in one of the lodges and we didn't realize until a couple of days later. Antony organized a pickup and hand delivered the items to our hotel in Nairobi.
The safari itself was great. George was our guide and was very friendly and knowledgable about all the animals we saw - got all the Big 5, including some lion cubs and a leopard in a tree, which is apparently a rarity. He was well networked with all the other game drivers we saw, which I think was helpful in tracking down the animals. We went for the more expensive package for lodging because it was our honeymoon (which was not originally sent in the inquiry email but I asked about it after doing a little more research) and it did not disappoint. The prices were on par, if not slightly lower, than a couple of other companies we contacted, although definitely still a splurge. That being said, the lodges were luxury at it's finest (Entim Mara and The Cliff) and some honeymoon surprises were organized for us to make us feel extra special.
Overall, it was a fantastic experience and we would recommend Tazama for anyone considering a safari in Kenya.
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Email Eva S. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari Company!!!
Our wonderful safari trip would not have been possible without Tazama. We had a 10-day safari starting with Samburu, Lake Nakuru, Maasai Mara, Lake Navasha, and ended with Amboseli. Our driver/guide (Andrew) was able to find animals in every park including the Big 5! Andrew is a highly skilled guide and driver. He was patient with us, even when we were late having breakfast (smile). He is kind, generous and has a great sense of humor. He has great instincts and has great communication skills. He gets along with other drivers and even helped changed a tire for another driver while we were out looking for animals.
Prior to our safari, Anthony was patient and very responsive to our numerous questions! It was just a joy to actually communicate with someone who understood and addressed all of our concerns. We were able to PayPal our final payment a day before our departure which as many travelers know is not allowed with other travel companies. This how accommodating Tazama is. As for the value/price, it was an excellent deal. We were in a clean, reliable and comfortable vehicle and the lodges where we stayed were wonderful. Anthony also arranged our hot air balloon ride which I strongly recommend for Maasai Mara. Overall, it was a fantastic experience with a wonderful safari company. The Tazama team knows how to take care of people! I would definitely recommend Tazama to anyone looking for a safari in Kenya.
Email Victor | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect experience on a 15 day Kenyan safari
We spent two fantastic weeks visiting the best kenyan parks, enjoying a lifetime experience thanks to Tazama. Thank you Antony for organising the trip acording to all our requests and to our incredible guide Henry. We could not be more happy. We highly recommend them.
Email Gervais Henderson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 day safari, aberdares, Lake nakuru and maasai mara
Our safari with tazama was great. The communication during booking was very good and informative although occasionally needed to wait a day or two for response.
The arrangements all worked well and were punctual.
The driver/guide was excellent and very knowledgeable. He also was willing to make a couple of extra stops on request.
The accommodation booked was great. The national parks visited were very good except the ark in the aberdares where few animals graced us with their presence.
BE
Email Astrid | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect one week safari in Kenya
Great 7 day safari with our guide Henry de Tazama. The organization was great, the accommodations magnificent, we saw the big 5 and much more! I recommend :)
(automatic translation from French)
BE
Email Niels | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari
Great safari with our guide Henry! The organization was top notch, the hotels fantastic and the Parks super beautiful. We saw all the animals and much more!
(automatic translation from Dutch)
DE
Email Karlotta | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An experience of a lifetime
We booked a 14 Day tour with Tazama which included an 11 Days Safari and a 3 stay in Diani. All we had to do was give Antony a budget and he organised the rest for us. Antony is quick to reply and very accommodating. When we had to change the dates of our trip on very short, he rearranged everything on very short notice and made sure the trip would still run smoothly.
Our Guide was Andrew and he was a major reason why we enjoyed our safari so much. Andrew is very friendly, punctual and open. His enthusiasm for wildlife and Kenyan culture is absolutely contagious. He was able to cater to all our wishes e.g. leaving a little later and made sure we felt happy throughout the tour!
During our 2 weeks we saw as many animals as we could have hoped for and Andrew always found perfect photography spots for us! In addition we saw stunning landscapes and got to know the Kenyan culture. All lodges Antony picked for us were perfect and had amazing food.
We would wholeheartedly recommend anyone to book a trip with Tazama!
