On Safari in the Mara
The Safari Partners
- Located In:
-
Canada
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2010)
- Member Of:
- IATA, ACTA & TOPAC
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
CA
Email Paul | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exceeded expectations
Safari partners genuinely designed a tour that matched my needs. They clearly understood my expectations , wants , and concerns.
Travelling with a family of 6 including 4 Young children had me somewhat concerned about safety . Never once did I feel uncomfortable .
The safari itself was exceptional , I think In large part because the location and lodging matched our needs.
The best part of the trip was the interaction with local people and tribes . Again, professionaly managed .
CA
Email Don | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Safari Partners were amazing from our first contact until we had completed our trip!
A safari trip is costly and for many is a once in a lifetime trip. Researching safari companies can be overwhelming. There are many and they offer many options. I can save you some time and grief - contact The Safari Partners from Vancouver, Canada! My wife and I recently completed a "Gorillas, Game, and Beaches" trip with The Safari Partners to East Africa. Right from our initial e-mails to Chris Ronneseth at The Safari Partners everything was handled in a very professional manner. Chris patiently responded to all of our concerns in a respectful and informative manner, often only minutes after we sent the e-mail.
While we were in Africa everything went as planned. All of the companies that The Safari Partners use in Africa are top notch. The guides and drivers went out of their way to ensure that we had the best experience possible. We saw the big five in our first day in the Maasai Mara. The accommodations and meals were amazing. We had high expectations for our trip and it surpassed them in every way!
We had a flight from Kigali to Nairobi on Super Bowl Sunday. Our flight was cancelled and I e-mailed Chris from the Kigali airport. He responded in minutes, reassured us, and contacted the folks in Nairobi to let them know our situation. When we arrived in Nairobi several hours later, Chris had arranged everything and our trip was right back on track. Incredible!
We have no hesitation in recommending The Safari Partners!
CA
Email Cindy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Canadian Tour Company, professional & thorough
We found the Safari Partners using google- not many Canadian safari companies out there. I was a little apprehensive at first- since i didn't see very many reviews online. Well, Chris was beyond patient with me- answering my (many) questions and changing dates when needed. Emails were answered regularly, all paperwork was in order and everything went smoothly. From the airline they chose (safarilinks) to setting us up at Encounter Mara- it was beyond expectation. The camp itself was amazing- food, the service, the guides- we couldn't have ask for anything better. Chris & Staff... thanks for helping us make memories to last a lifetime!
CA
Email Peter & Brian - Peterborough, Canada | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The Kenya Cheetah Safari - Guide Victor was excellent in knowledge and concern for our comfort.
We (father/son) searched about six safari companies and came away with The Safari Partners (Chris in Vancouver) as the most impressive for safaris offered, pricing and presentation of information. Chris was very prompt in his replies to our numerous queries and answered all concerns in a manner that felt very personable. Prior to leaving on our trip we received a good information prep kit as to packing, expectations, etc. along with some items we used on safari.
The safari was my 4th and my son's first and it was truly perfect. Our driver was Victor of African Horizons who, it felt like, became a good friend soon after our pickup. He was quite friendly, knowledgeable and told us many interesting things about Kenya. The safari itself was well laid out as to experiencing the wildlife of Africa from basic to great excitement. The first park had the most common animals one would expect to see, such as the various herds, to the next two parks, where we saw rhinos and hippos up close and eventually to the Masai Mara as the final game reserve and seeing the Big Five we had yet to see.....lion and leopard. It was like a build up through the trip, so the planning for this safari was certainly well done. My son wasn't happy about tents since we had just climbed Kilimanjaro, but the "tents" on this safari were luxury.
Our family loves safaris and we will certainly look to The Safari Partners again.
CA
Email Kelly Stubson | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Chris and Safari Partners put together a perfectly co-ordinated and executed safari trip for us.
We had high expectations of our trip to Zimbabwe and Botswana. Our trip exceeded those expectations on every level. From my initial contact with Chris, relaying to him what we wanted to do, to his recommended itinerary and to our face to face meeting, where he answered all questions, the process was perfect.
We stayed in four lodges, with two of them being remote, fly-in, bush camps. The places were exactly as pictured (no brochure shock), but what could not have been relayed prior to our arrival, was the warmth, friendliness and happiness of the staff that ran and worked in the lodges. The food in all locations was fantastic. Because each of the lodges, (other than the Ilala Lodge in Victoria Falls), was small, we got to know our fellow travellers and the staff on more than just a superficial level. The guides and trackers were highly knowledgeable and accommodating, always trying to get us the best views and positions for their photo happy clients. The managers and guides even ate meals with the guests, which further enhanced our stay as we got to find out about their lives and families.
The animal sightings were off the charts. The skill of the trackers and guides to actually track the big cats, and to lead us to them was fascinating. Tracking a leopard for an hour was exciting and fun.
There were so many aspects of the trip that fantastic, that there is no way to relay them all to any prospective client. I would just have to say, that we would not hesitate to recommend Safari Partners to anyone contemplating an African adventure. We will be contacting Chris in the future to help us book further trips to one of the most truly beautiful and friendliest places on the planet. Thanks Chris and Safari Partners for making us such happy clients!
CA
Email Andrew and Katherine | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Botswana
Safari Partners put together a wonderful and memorable trip for us to Botswana and South Africa. The arrangements (flights, hotels, transfers, rental car, game drives, etc) went so smoothly; we never had a single hassle. Chris was always there to answer questions and take care of details. We appreciated the quick response time. Botswana was the highlight for us: so much better than we could have imagined, both in the number and variety of animals we saw, the quality of the accommodations and the friendly, sophisticated service. Katherine had never had her gluten intolerance accommodated so well! We wouldn't hesitate to recommend Safari Partners.
CA
Email Cathy | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime!
This was indeed the trip of a lifetime! I travelled with my daughters to Tanzania after booking with the Safari Partners and Chris took care of every detail. Every part of our trip went smoothly so we were able to fully enjoy our experience without a worry.
The accommodations were stunning, with gorgeous backdrops of the African landscape. All the staff were friendly, helpful and we were well taken care of. Our guide on safari was very knowledgable, personable and an excellent driver! We were able to see the " big five " , as well as so many other animal and bird species.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Safari Partners and very much hope to be able to return to Africa some day.
CA
Email Erin Robitaille | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Epic!
What a trip!!! This was truly a dream come true for me! My husband and I went to both Kenya and Tanzania on our honeymoon and booked with Safari partners. It surpassed all our expectations. Chris was beyond helpful making suggestions and answering our million questions. This trip was a breeze from the moment we landed in Africa to when we arrived home. Every detail was planned, we showed up and were treated so well by everyone that we met along the way. I know one day we will be going back to Africa and we will for sure be booking with Chris again! Thank you Safari Partners for all the dreams you made come true on this trip of a life time!
US
Email Bas | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic East Africa safari experience
After looking for reputable safari providers, I found The Safari Partners and contacted Chris about some of my wishes for my first Safari. After discussing the options, I selected the East Africa Express safari, going to 5 different parks in 10 days, making sure I experienced as much of East Africa as I could. I traveled by myself and ended up in a wonderful, small, group of people with whom I spent the next 10 days traveling, eating, and enjoying the experience. After the pick-up in Nairobi, the Boma hotel was a nice place to recover from the long trip and get ready for the start of the park visits. As soon as we entered the Masai Mara, we saw an abundance of wildlife, including 4 of the big 5 within the first 2 hours. The Ashnil camp in the heart of the Mara was a great experience, and ideally situated for the many game drives over the next 2 days. Moving on to Lake Victoria was a quiet and idyllic break from the game drives, I highly recommend visiting the fishing village of Mwabulugu, a short boat ride away from Speke Bay Lodge, a very nice lodge, especially since they are now on the electrical grid. Do try to get a hut near the lake, the ones further away from the lake get unbearably warm during the night, even with a floor or table fan. We were fortunate that our next stop, the Serengeti Sopa lodge was overbooked and we were upgraded to the Pioneer camp, an experience I won't soon forget. This camp is a treat in every sense, can't recommend it enough, and the Serengeti game drives were wonderful. Onwards to the Ngorongoro crater, which, while a lot dustier than the previous areas, provides a unique environment well worth exploring. Visiting a Masai village on the outskirts of the crater and jumping with the Masai was a great experience also. The Sopa Lodge at the rim of the crater was enormous, very much a mass-tourist experience, but well-situated, with large rooms and good facilities. The next and final stop was Tarangire national park, home of the Baobab tree and once again an abundance of wildlife. The Sopa lodge here was a much smaller scale than the one by the crater, but otherwise very similar in appearance and facilities.
All in all, thank you to Chris, Safari Partners, and the local operators, African Horizons, for making my first safari a fantastic experience. I will undoubtedly return to Africa, see some of the other countries, maybe fly instead of drive between camps, and will select The Safari Partners again as my tour operator.
CA
Email Sherry | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Trip Of A Lifetime
We found Chris and Safari Partners online while researching new destinations and boy what luck!! Chris was very well informed and provided choices for us in terms of destinations in Africa for first timers. I wanted to plan a great vacation for my husband for a milestone birthday, I saw so many great reviews and thought to take a chance with this company. I spoke to Chris a few times, gave him my list of preferences and a few ideas of destinations and of course a price cap. He put together an amazing itinerary for us, we wanted to see Victoria Falls so we had two fantastic nights in Zimbabwe at a beautiful lodge, took a river cruise and went to a boma. Loved Victoria Falls! We then headed to Cape Town to a fantastic home away from home Blackheath lodge, our private guide took us to every sight imaginable and kept wowing us with the knowledge and destinations. We then headed to wine country with our private guide, beautiful Stellenbosch and amazing food and wine and 5 star accommodations! Next was the "piece de resistance" with four extraordinary nights in Kruger National Park...wow, wow,wow...we loved the Simbavati River Lodge and staff. Our guides were amazing, food was great and the "visitors and residents" were exceptional!! We saw the big five, and everything else imaginable. Chris well done, everything went perfectly well, no hiccups, delays, additional costs, or stress!!! Everything was handled, we simply had to relax and enjoy our vacation. This company will be our "go to" for our next African adventure for sure....thank you Chris for ensuring my husband's birthday gift was perfect.