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
BE
Email Karina | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
an absolutely disappointing and frustrating experience with Tazama Holidays in the Masai Mara, Kenya
I just returned from a 6-nights private Migration Safari with Tazama Holidays in Kenya, quite expensive for a single traveller in a land cruiser. And it was absolutely disappointing!
The aim of my trip was very clear from the beginning on - wildlife photography of the wildebeest migration in the Masai Mara.
But their driver-guide, Eric, first only did classic game drives and only after unpleasant vivid discussions finally took me to the Talek River instead to the requested more important Mara River crossing points, with the result that we only got to see one crossing on the very last day (even though I showed him the exact points on a map!)
This driver of a 'photographic' safari (Tazama's own words) did not know anything about the simplest rules how to position the vehicle. He was very stubborn and did not take lightly to criticism. At any sightings he would spend most of the time on his phone (talking or checking messages). He definitely lacks even the most basic communicative skills (except with fellow drivers) as it proved to be extremely difficult to get any info or feedback. The only positive thing: he is a good driver and game spotter. It might well be that you fare better when going with the owner, Antony, himself. But although this was initially the plan also for my trip, this was changed shortly before leaving. You never know what you get!
Shortly before leaving for the trip Tazama proposed to change accommodation, an intimate eco-bush camp inside the Mara Reserve instead a much bigger one outside the reserve. This proved to be an excellent suggestion. However, also here Tazama disappointed as they stated this new camp would be more expensive, but they would not charge it to me. During my stay, however, I got the info that the bush camp was in fact about 20 percent cheaper - quite a sum for 6 nights which Tazama of course happily kept for themselves.
In short, if you don't ask for anything more than very general 'touristy' game drives and don't mind being ripped off for accomodation rates, if you are fine with a driver who does what he wants and does not communicate, go with Tazama.
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.
CA
Email Lisa Obodzinski | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic experience!
My husband and I came home a month ago from a fabulous safari in Kenya with Tazama. We can’t say enough good things about our trip! We had originally booked and paid for this safari in 2019 for travel in June 2020 and of course it had to be moved. I had been in contact with Antony who was always kind, prompt with emails and very helpful and it was no different when we had to postpone our highly anticipated trip. We trusted Tazama enough to not get refunds but postpone for a year. And then we had to postpone another year until 2022. It was almost hard to believe that the trip was actually going ahead in June 2022. Antony was so nice and thankful that we had put trust in him and Tazama and it made us feel that he genuinely cares about his business and clients. And that continued throughout our week in Kenya. Antony and our guide Josephat met us at our hotel and then we were off to the Maasai Mara. Our Jeep was great with a pop top which made game viewing much better.
We booked the Cheetah tour - 2 nights Maasai Mara, 1 night Lake Nakuru and 2 nights Amboseli. I’d suggest two nights in Nakuru as the drives are reaaallly long and there isn’t much down time. We did pay to be on safari but that meant we didn’t have much time to hang out in the amazing lodges we stayed at. But regardless our guide was amazing and we spotted all the big five plus we witnessed a lion kill. Just UNREAL.
It was nice to have the Jeep to ourselves as we would just make a schedule directly with our guide who was very set in making sure we had the best possible game drives.
We wild highly recommend Tazama for your trip in Kenya. We had a another different company booked in Uganda/Rwanda and were disappointed with our guide after the bar was set so high with Tazama in Kenya. Thank you Josephat and Antony for an unforgettable experience!! We will send all our friends your way!
AT
Email VIKTORIA FROM Austria | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
!!! Amazing !!!
Dear Antony, Dear Andrew, First of all, thank you for the amazing safari. Everything worked great right from the start. The pick up from the hotel, the great transfer to the Masai Mara and the incredible game drives. The accommodation in the Masai Mara (Mara Simba Lodge) was really great. The food was excellent and the packed lunches organized by Andrew were also perfect. The drive to Lake Nakuru was also very relaxed and you always felt safe. The hotel at Lake Nakuru (lion hill lodge) was also excellent. In the evening even with a hot water bottle in bed. I would do another safari with Tazama Africa Holidays in a heartbeat and we will definitely do it again in the future. Thanks again for the unforgettable moments. It was perfectly planned from start to the end.
MX
Email Frank | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best tour operator with the best guide ever.
We are a family of 4 adults and decided to visit Kenya for a Safari experience.
It took us a couple of weeks to decide whom to hire since this web page offers many of them, fortunately we ended up with Tazama Africa Holidays.
Antony was really accurate and answered all our questions really quickly and straight honest. It was extremely easy to get comfortable with Antony and the way he took us through the whole process.
The star of this tour, without a doubt, was our guide/driver and now friend, Moses. He was fun, easy going, always asking about what we wanted, what we needed and he was always full of stories about the animals we saw, Kenya's culture, the places we visited and always with a broad smile and a most friendly way. He was always looking forward for us to see the most animals on every game drive and Did we see animals!!!
We visited Amboseli, Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara, all our camps were really nice, specially the one at Maasai Mara. In all of them we found friendly people who welcomed us like if we were the only guests, and I think this has to do with Antony's relationship with this places.
Thank you Antony and Moses for an experience we will never forget!!
Whenever anyone decides to hire Tazama Africa Holidays, make sure you get Moses as your guide.
Kenya is a wonderful country and you will certainly fall in love with its people.
BG
Email Luis and Pavlina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great communication, very helpful and friendly
We had an amazing safari around Naivasha lake, Nakuru park and Masai Mara park. Communication with Antony was perfect and our guide John was very friendly and helpful, trying to incorporate all our wishes in the schedule. This was once in the lifetime experience and we enjoyed every moment of it!
AE
Email Dan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing staff, safari - trip of a LIFETIME!
Antony and his team are nothing short of amazing. From the very beginning, communication was extremely smooth. I have been talking to more than five operators, but the discussions with Antony were always the best. He helped me understand where to stay, how to organize the day, and how to get the most out of our trip. We went back and forth quite a bit, and he has always been extemely patient. With respect to the safari ourself: our guide Josphat was absolutely amazing. On our drive to the park, he knew exactly were to stop to get some groceries and a sim card for us. During game drives, he told us so many interesting facts and was extremely hospitable. I took a lot of photos, and he had to stop the car so many times I thought I would drive him crazy, but he always asked where to park his car best for the best photos and angles. We saw all big five on the first day thanks to him! Thank you again for an amazing safari - we returned two weeks ago and I have already booked my next trip with Antony and Tazama!
Email Marco | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Hugely Recommended - Best Trip EVER!
I recently came back from an 8-days safari tour of Kenya with Tazama, and it was the best experience in my life!
It was my first time as a solo travelled and decided to book this tour 3 weeks in advance - Antony, the owner, has been very responsive and available to answer all my questions from the very beginning. Organisation was excellent, and he also picked me up at the airport which I really appreciated.
Doing this safari was genuinely the best decision I ever made - the amount of nature and wildlife I saw was way beyond expectations. We spent two days in Samburu, one day at Ol Pejeta Reserve, one day at Lake Nakuru and four days in Maasai Mara: all beautiful places, and we managed to see all the possible animals several times.
Andrew, the guide who stayed with me for the whole tour, is the very best - he's very friendly, knowledgeable and experienced. You could see that he knows all these areas very well, and allowed me to watch the most incredible animals in very rare situations: a leopard sleeping on a tree and then coming down (he spotted it from 200mt distance!!!), 15+ lion cubs at sunrise and sunset (so beautiful it makes you cry), male lions looking to fight for territory, we followed a cheetah and saw her going after a gazelle (breathtaking!)...and much more! Also lots of elephants, rhinos, gazelles, giraffes, buffalos, hypos, crocodiles, birds etc... we also managed to see a serval, very elusive animal!
The hotels were also great, but you won't spend much time there as you'll usually leave early in the morning and come back for dinner, and then go straight to bed.
I came back with unforgettable memories, and I hugely recommend Tazama for the great job they've done! They're the best!
Thank you very much again for making my dream come true, I really wish you all the best!
Marco
QA
Email Stanley | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari with a difference with Tazama
A safari in Kenya was one of the top priority bucket list. As we tried to figure out the best way to do this, we stumbled on Tazama and were immediately impressed with the reviews. So we decided to complete the safari with Tazama a decision which we will never regret.
Being an avid wildlife & landscape photographer, I contacted Anthony the owner with two key requirements for this five day safari. One was safely managing the logistics of my child of determination and second was photography safari primarily covering the spectacular Birds of Kenya and landscapes.
Anthony within hours responded with a very good & competitive itinerary covering Amboseli, Lake Naivasha and Masai Mara and included properties which was wheel chair friendly.
At the airport we were welcomed by Anthony personally along with Andrew who would be our guide par excellence and their well appointed 4x4 Land cruiser. We stayed at Kibo Safari Camp for two nights. This is an awesome tented camp which I will highly recommend to anyone. The tents are very aesthetically done blending the traditional tents with a element of modern amenities. The Staff at the restaurant are a joyful bunch of staff who are so passionate about their job. Charles & Duncan along with their fabulous team will make anyone at home. Simply loved it. All facilities are wheel chair friendly. Amboseli park was truly great with all the majestic Elephants and hundred of birds which we managed to cover. Andrew turned out to be an birding expert, fluent with the names, habitat and characteristics of all birds at the tip of tongue. The best thing was the knowledge of where to position the vehicle so as to get the best frames under optimum light conditions necessary to shoot all the best actions.
Next we proceeded to Lake Naivasha to shoot the fish eagles in action along with a host of other birds in action along the rim of the beautiful lake. The local boat operator also a good birding expert called the eagles with unique whistling and a fish at hand. So action is very much assured. Just keep the cameras ready for some hair raising action of Eagle snatching the fish from the lake.
Third destination was Masai Mara and we were accommodated at the Sarova Game Camp. This place was truly beautiful and wheel chair friendly. Chef Douglas made our dinner buffets deliciously memorable with some awesome Indian cuisines. Mart-in & Grace ensured all went well and smooth. Here too the deluxe tented camps are a true delight as the camp are located within the Masai Reserve.
Chef Andrew took us on a visit to the herbal garden from where all the organic greens come to the buffet.
Here too Andrew did a fantastic job of ensuring we covered the place well in the three days we spent. On day two we did a 12 hour game drive from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm straight. Andrew ensured we had all breakfast, lunch & tea packed for the marathon game drive and served at the bush. The drive involved some very extreme off-road conditions including slush which Andrew managed to maneuver safely. As birding and prey kills were my requirements, Andrew planned the timings well and patient enough so that I could easily cover dozens of beautiful bird species and two prey kills under very optimum lighting conditions.
Hot air balloon over the Mara with my child of determination was icing on the cake. I was skeptical of how they could manage this, but the balloon Pilot with his team made it easy so that our child could see the Mara from a different view.
COVID protocols were strictly complied with at all times in all resorts with a RT-PCR test organized at tent it self at Sarova Mara for those flying outbound to countries requiring on arrival PCR reports.
I will cut my long review short by summarizing that Tazama Africa Holidays honestly is the right team if you want to have a private photography safari covering specific birds and animals or just an enriching safari from a different viewpoint and most importantly at a very competitive & affordable price.
US
Email Ania Z | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best trip of my life and I have traveled the world!
From the moment we landed until the moment we left to go back home it was an incredible experience! It took me a few months of hard research to find the very best company and I did find them, Tazama Africa Holidays! Eric was our guide and he was excellent. Top service, best guest service, extremely knowledgeable about all of the animals and parks. I feel like he is now a part of our family having spent a week with him. We saw every single animal we could have imagined plus some special sightings of rare creatures. We felt safe the whole time. We were cared for extremely well by Tazama Africa Holidays and the two camps we stayed at Entim and The Cliff. Both camps were stunning. The whole trip felt like we were living in a movie or on national geographic. I have traveled the world many times but this trip is an ultimate highlight of my life! My boyfriend has never been outside the North American continent and he was mesmerized by this vacation. If you want to go on the best holiday and safari have no doubt about Tazama, they are the only way to go. I have told so many of my friends about them so they can have this unique experience. Thank you so much for taking the very best care of us on your holiday! Make sure to ask for Eric, he was the best guide ever!