Guide Ken with one of our 4x4 Land Cruisers
Spirit of Kenya
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2014)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $300 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
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Email Ryan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and patient. Always responded right away and answered all my questions.
Started planning our safari in Oct 2023 and after communicating with 3 tour operators me and my wife chose Spirit of Kenya.
Our tour planner Filipa was amazing! She answered every question I had and always responded right away and was really patient during the process. We exchanged over 100 emails before the safari and she was able to make a custom itinerary to exactly what I wanted.
2 nights Tsavo West - Salt Lick lodge
2 nights Amboseli - Amboseli Serena
1 Night Lake Nakuru - Lake Nakuru Sopa
3 nights Masai Mara - Malaika Camp
2 Days before arrival I was still communicating with Filipa and was able to book a last minute hotel in Nairobi.
The safari was the best travel experience I ever had. Was blown away from the start at Salt Lick Lodge my favorite lodge during our stay. By the 2nd day I wanted to extend our tour by adding another day. I messaged Filipa and within an hour I had an extra night booked.
Our guide George was able to find all the big 5 and in Masai Mara we were able to see a migration crossing. Our last 2 days there was a bit of miscommunication with our guide but it didn’t take away the experience of the safari. I give spirit of Kenya 5 stars.
Special thank you to Filipa. She made everything happen and made the experience that much better.
CN
Email Xue | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was so excellent！Our guide James found lots of animals for us and he is so friendly！
Our guide James is very responsible and found every animal we wanted to see.He is good at driving.Everything was so nice！
Email Andy and Sophie | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The best tour operator we have ever used...
Spirit of Kenya were the most fantastic company to deal with from start to finish. We booked this safari for our honeymoon and I can honestly say it was the best week of our lives and that is largely to do with Spirit of Kenya, our tour guide Michael and the amazing places we were able to stay as part of our package.
I found Spirit of Kenya through their great reviews online and after enquiring I was immediately contacted by Vanessa who was excellent at explaining the different accommodation, vehicle type, locations and activities we could choose from. The thing I liked the most was that there were 3 or 4 different accommodation options for each leg of our stay that ranged from more affordable to luxury so we could tailor our stay within the budget. There was never any kind of attempt to upsell us or get us to spend more money which I certainly appreciated. Vanessa was then always on hand from the point of booking to when we arrived on the tour to quickly answer questions for us. She was great throughout the whole process. My advice, if you are willing to pay the 5% charge, would be to pay by card as my bank would not release the payment when I tried to pay through bank transfer and the card option was much easier and gave peace of mind that your payment is protected.
When we arrived in Nairobi we were picked up at the airport and taken to our hotel ready for our safari to start the next day. This process was easy and worked well. The next morning, Michael (our tour guide) was waiting for us early to start the safari. Michael was outstanding from the start until the finish of our trip. We honestly could not have asked for anything better from him. He was well presented, polite, eloquent in his explanations, had great knowledge of anything we asked and went above and beyond at every stage to make sure we had the best possible safari. Right from the very start it was obvious how passionate he was to deliver the best service possible. He was always willing to tailor our activities and what we were doing around what we wanted to do but we were so confident in his ability to deliver the best service that most of the time we said 'whichever you think is the best option' and it always turned out just as we would have liked. Again, if your budget allows, I would recommend getting the 'private' vehicle so it is just your group in the vehicle as it makes the experience more intimate whilst also not having to worry about what other people would want to do on the trip.
The 3 locations we stayed in were the Kongoni Lodge, The Cliff and Amani Mara. Kongoni Lodge was our more affordable choice but we were actually pleasantly surprised at how good it was. We were only staying for a night stop and it was exactly what we needed. Very spacious lodges, comfortable and the food was good. The people taking care of us there were also very polite and we enjoyed our time there. The Cliff was our luxury option and it was spectacular. The view was incredible and we loved our luxury tent room. Do not think of it as a tent, I haven't stayed in many actual hotel rooms that were better! On request, the staff even come and bring the blinds up on the tent in the morning so you can watch the sunrise from your bed. It was just amazing. The staff here were also brilliant and the food was lovely as well. Our favourite place was Amani Mara - I do not think I have ever stayed in a more amazing place. You are right in the middle of the Maasai Mara and are surrounded by the animals and when it gets dark you even need to be walked to and from your room by the staff. It is completely safe but really makes you realise just how close you are to the wildlife. The views were stunning and the staff were out of this world. Sallie and William were particularly great and made our stay beyond memorable. Another thing we loved about Amani Mara is the amount of conservation work they do and my wife and I got to plant a tree on their grounds as part of one of the projects which I thought was a lovely touch. We paid extra to have a bush dinner and it was worth every penny. You get driven right out into the reserve, watch the sunset and then get served a lovely dinner surrounded by the zebra, wildebeest and the other animals settling down for the night. We even got visited by some curious hyenas but, again, we were perfectly safe as the staff were all there to make sure they did not get too close! I could not give Amani Mara high enough praise, they were just amazing.
I would recommend all of the activities we did - we did the Crescent Island walk, rode bikes through Hells Gate National Park and visited the Maasai Village. The Crescent Island walk was amazing and highly recommended. You are able to walk in amongst all the animals (avoiding the hippos!) and you get so close it is surreal. We had the giraffe's walking around us completely unbothered by our presence and it was just the nicest experience to kick start the safari. The bike ride was also great fun and a different way to experience some of the beautiful scenery. My wife and I are pretty active and found the riding great but I would caution someone that perhaps is not particularly active that it may be a struggle, especially if it is very hot. We were very glad we went to the Maasai Village to experience some history and culture. We were well looked after and we did leave with some goodies from their stalls. It is more expensive to buy stuff from their stall (make sure you negotiate hard as they will try and get a lot more from you!) but we were happy to do so as it was money going to the local villagers and we thought that was something worth paying a bit more for.
Finally, the game drives. They were all fantastic and Michael could not have done more than he did to maximise our experience. We did game drives around Lake Nakuru and then in the Maasai Mara itself. Michael was so patient and expertly navigated his way around to make sure we saw everything that was possible to see. We saw 4 of the 'Big 5' and despite everyone's best efforts including the other tours and even Sallie from Amani Mara, we did not get to see a leopard because they decided to take a few days off and hide. Literally nobody saw them for that few days but this did not take away from our experience in the slightest. It is nature and nature does not always go how you intended. We saw so many lions, giraffes, elephants, rhinos, hippos, wildebeest, cheetahs and every other kind of animal you could imagine. It shocked us how much you would get to see them as we thought you might be lucky to see a few here and there but we got to see so much of them we felt extremely lucky. I could have driven around for 8-10 hours a day just taking in the scenery and wildlife and been completely happy. We really did feel so lucky to be there and experience what we did.
Michael then drove us to our hotel in Nairobi to end the tour. Although booked separately from Spirit of Kenya we would recommend the Villa Rosa Kempinski (although quite expensive) and to visit Sheldrick Trust elephant orphanage before you go home. Sheldrick Trust was also incredible!
All in all, this was a 10/10 experience and Spirit of Kenya / Michael could not have done more for us. I would recommend them 100% and if we were to do the same or something similar again in the future they are the company I would go for without a doubt.
DK
Email Per | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic tour operator to work with
We can highly recommend Spirit of Africa as you next tour operator, everything went out to our 100% sactisfaction. We vist Masai Mara, Nakuru and Amboseli, absolutely nothing went wrong or was to complain about.
IN
Email LITAN | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
UNFORGETTABLE AND AMAZING TOUR OF KENYA
It had been a fantastic tour of a lifetime. We saw almost all the animals of Africa, including the big five and it was our guide and driver Dominique, who made it sure that we do not miss anything. Even the migrations across the river! We toured Psavo West, Amboseli, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru and the enchanting Masaimara in a 10 day package and I must say we enjoyed all through, as we had the opportunity of a spectacular viewing of animals, especially the big five, thanks to our guide Dominique who was too friendly and an intelligent guy ! Our accommodations were all very good and comfortable and our relationship manager, Jorge was so good and helpful that there was no hiccups during the entire safari. Jorge guided me since we booked the tour about one year back, and his response to each and every query from me (some silly also) was prompt with clarity.
I would remember this tour of our lifetime thanks to "Spirit of Kenya"
NL
Email William | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing support from start to finish and an amazing 6 night / 7 day safari with my girlfriend!
From start to finish, everything was arranged perfectly! Victor really helped us out getting the perfect trip for us. Lenny the guide was really amazing with his passion for animals and photography!
We went from Nairobi to Amboseli (2 nights), then to Naivasha for a boat safari (1 night). Then we went for full day game drive to Nakuru (1 night), to see a lot of rhino's! After that we went to Masai mara for 2 nights.
When I was going to plan the trip, I contacted 5 or 6 safari companies with some of my wishes. I was planning to compare prices, but when I got in contact with Victor (compared to the other mails I received from other companies), I immediately knew, this guy is really going for the best experience for us. Money became less important.
Thanks again Victor and Lenny!
CA
Email Jotpal S. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
From start to finish, an incredible experience with Spirit of Kenya!
My wife and I just finished a 7 day safari with Spirit of Kenya and we could not be happier with our experience with the company, our Personal Journey Designer, or our guide.
Our experience, from start to finish, was absolutely perfect and we cannot rave enough about everyone and everything involved.
From the moment we reached out to Spirit of Kenya with a general query about their safaris to the moment we arrived back home, everyone involved ensured that our time in Kenya was the most memorable experience of our lives.
Our Personal Journey Designer Victor was kind, patient, and incredibly helpful in helping us design the best safari based on our budget, the time of the year we'd be arriving, and what we specifically wanted to see and experience while in Kenya.
Our guide Kennedy was perhaps one of the most memorable parts of our experience. Incredibly kind, personable, funny, patient, knowledgeable, and experienced - Kennedy was able to ensure we checked off ALL of our boxes on our safari checklist and was a joy to accompany over the 7 days of the safari.
Everything from the chosen parks (Samburu, Aberdare, Lake Nakuru, and Masai Mara) to the various accommodations (lodges/tents) were incredible.
This was our first safari experience and we weren't certain about what operators to choose from but we decided on Spirit of Kenya due to their incredible reviews and, having returned home, we don't have any regrets. Should we ever return for another safari experience, we would only book with Spirit of Kenya once again.
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Email Teresa | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour operator
We had a wonderful safari experience with the help of Spirit of Kenya. Our tour designer Jorge was very responsive and attentive to details. Our Tanzania driver Maleo, was very considerate, knowledgeable, and patient. In addition to enjoying the wonder of nature, we had a great time experiencing the cultural and hospitality of Tanzania and Kenya!
Email Josh & Charlotte | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Choose Spirit of Kenya!
We have just finished a 6 night safari with Spirit of Kenya and it was brilliant!
First and foremost our guide, George Munyi, was absolutely amazing and made our trip so special. He was very knowledgeable, warm and easy to talk to. He learnt early on that in addition to seeing the big animals, we had an interest in birds, and made sure that he pointed out the interesting ones we passed and had great in-depth knowledge about all of them. We were very impressed and learnt a lot! We'd recommend George to anyone visiting Kenya and we were sad to say goodbye at the end of the week. Asante sana, George!
The organisation of our safari was seamless from start to finish. Jorge was always very responsive and tailored the trip to what we wanted, for example, adding in mt Longonot and hells gate which weren't on our original itinerary. They also helped with airport transfers and booking internal train tickets. We felt very comfortable throughout the trip and feel very fortunate to have chosen Spirit of Kenya.
Thank you so much!
Josh and Charlotte
Great organisation
We corresponded with Victor over email and he helped us to put together the perfect trip (4 days safari and 3 days on the beach) for our honeymoon. From the time we arrived in Kenya, everything was organised and happened like clockwork - we were picked up from every airport on time. Each hotel that we stayed at was better than the last. Prices are reasonable compared to other tour operators.
A special mention for our guide, Sammy. He was incredible and one of the best tour guides we have ever had. He is obviously enthusiastic about Kenya and incredibly knowledgeable not only about safari animals but Kenya in general. We learned a lot and most importantly, had an incredible time. Even when traffic led to us changing our plans, Sammy made sure we had a fantastic day.
Thank you for a perfect honeymoon.