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 Soumya | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent
We booked our 8 day safari trip to Kenya and Tanzania with Spirit of Kenya mostly based on Tripadvisor reviews. Andre who helped us plan our trip was very professional and prompt with his responses. His recommendations worked perfectly well for us in terms of lodging and activities. I will be honest, we were a little apprehensive about how it would pan out but the trip exceeded our expectations.
Saying we had a wonderful trip would be an understatement! All our requests were taken care of including dietary needs ( I am a vegetarian) and extra water bottles.
Airport pick up and drop off were smooth. We enjoyed plenty of wildlife both at Mara and Serengeti. We loved both these places for different reasons.
Our tour Guide in Kenya Nauff picked us from Nairobi and drove us to Masai Mara. He made stops every time we wanted to watch an animal or enjoy the scenery. One of the reasons to visit Masai Mara was to see Wildebeest Mara river crossing and we got to see it! Nauff who was knowledgeable about the animals and the nature made sure he never once harassed animals in the process of showing us. Staying at a conservancy (outside the park) , at Amani Mara camp made all the difference, we were able to go for walks and also do a night Safari!
There was a transfer of guides at the Tanzania border which was done efficiently.
Prosper, our guide and driver in Tanzania was very knowledgeable and was determined to show us all the big 5 at Serengeti and we did see them! Special mention to leopard spotting at Serengeti. Thanks to Prosper!
The hot picnic lunches at Serengeti was one of highlights. We also visited Ngorongoro crater. Prosper made sure we got a good view of the ecosystem in close proximity and got good pictures !
We felt very safe throughout the trip.
We thank spirit of Kenya for all the beautiful memories that will last a life time.
BE
Email Eddie shah | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent org by spirit of Kenya
Planning the holiday with Andre from spirit was very good - he was very flexible and gave us a number of different and varied options to consider. He was also very responsive to all my questions in a timely and detailed manner.
All the arrangements ran smoothly and as excepted ( in some cases exceeded our expectations )
Patrick our safari guide was excellent - knowledgable and very friendly and flexible he really made sure we were comfortable and we got to see the big 5 .
All hotels / lodges were very good and met all our needs with interconnecting rooms fir the children and our dietary requirements / no complaints at all.
It was a wonderful experience and spirit of Kenya made it a very special holiday of a lifetime for us .
Email Catherine | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing all included trip - superbly organised and fantastic experience.
We enjoyed a 5 day safari around Naivasha Lake, Lake Nakuru and the Maasai Mara followed by 5 days at Diani beach. Our whole trip with spirit of Kenya was amazing and it was organised so well. We loved the boat ride (included) at Naivasha and the cycle around Hells Gate (extra).
Thank you to Tiago who was patient with us when organising and helping us postpone and re-plan due to covid. He helped us with all the little detail and supported us in designing the trip.
All the hotels we stayed at where superb and all recommended by spirit of Kenya (they offer accommodation to suit a range of styles and budgets). They also organised all of our many transfers and flights which all went smoothly. We cannot stress enough how well it all went, with no issues, and there is no chance we could have organised it all without them. It allowed us to be totally stress free while we were there and just enjoy the experience.
Charles - our driver - was also fantastic and he shared his amazing knowledge with us and answered all of our questions. He kept us informed of plans, as well as making sure we were always happy, and ensured we saw so many amazing animals. He looked after us for the whole 5 days and made us feel comfortable the whole time. Seeing all the animals was obviously the most amazing bit and that was all thanks to Charles.
Thank you for an amazing holiday!
Incredible and very well organised honeymoon safari!
We booked with Spirit of Kenya for the 9 day "Big Kenya" safari for our honeymoon after we had to cancel last minute due to the problems in Sri Lanka. Tiago was our booking agent - helpful, clear and very responsive, even late in the evening and on weekends. It was very easy to organise our personalised safari.
We were a bit anxious to book with a local tour operator but the price was infinitely cheaper than the equivalent with a British tour operator. There was a wide range of accommodation at different price points. Transfer from the airport to our hotel was smooth. Our safari guide Shoma was a brilliant driver - he took us to all the amazing parks and best areas, took his time and as a result we saw all the animals! Leopards, cheetahs, lots of lions, elephants, black rhinos, white rhinos, wildebeest crossing. Such an incredible experience. All of the accommodation was very well organised and the itinerary perfectly planned. We were delighted with the trip.
Some tips from our experience:
- We thought we would get bored on the 9 day Big Kenya safari, but we did not - you see something different in each park!
- Skip the hotels at Lake Navaisha and stay at The Cliff in Lake Nakuru for 2 nights - amazing lodge with the best massages ever
- Definitely sign up for the hot air balloon ride over the Masai Mara - beautiful views of the sunrise over the Mara was a once in a lifetime experience. We initially didn't add it because of the price but that is the going rate in this area and it was spectacular.
- it is worth the upgrade to the Land Cruiser - better comfort and views and the seats lie flat so you can sleep on the long transfers
- we are snobs about accommodation but the lodges were very good and clean with surprisingly good food. Bit cold at night so bring some woolly pjs!
The only thing I would recommend for improvement (and I am really nit picking here) is that Spirit of Kenya let the lodges know when it is a special occasion e.g. honeymoon. We did notice other couples getting some special extras at the lodges for being on honeymoon though this was a minor point in an overall 11/10 holiday!
Thank you Tiago and Shoma for a wonderful honeymoon and exceptional service, you are a credit to Spirit of Kenya! 100% recommend Spirit of Kenya for your safari.
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Email Jingling | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and dream-come-true journey! Love it!
I wanted to share our excellent experience in Kenya with the tour designed and escorted by Spirit of Kenya, especially about our guide/driver, Paul.
We found Kenya Spirit through online surfing and contacted over website inquiries. Tiago replied my inquiry within 1 day and since then we started timely and productive conversations to sort out various options fitting our trip expectations. All travel plans were finalized in a week.
The actual trip in Kenya was even more pleasant and fun. Our guide, Paul, is extremely excellent in guiding, driving, conversation, and engaging. He knows all to the details about Kenya and the beautiful nature/animals; he's also super professional to keep us comfortable to explain all details and next steps as why. As we're new to a country and a continent, guided and accompanied by a local that we can fully trust was definitely the most important factor for us to be able to enjoy the trip. Paul is very capable in doing that. I would also give a 5-star on every other possible detailed questions that a review / survey about local tour guide can ask:)
We already decided we'll definitely come back to travel and learn more about rest of the areas of Kenya, for that Spirit of Kenya will absolutely still be our first choice.
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Email Tracey | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Truly invested in creating a wonderful experience for it's customers.
Kenya has been a bucket list destination for my husband and myself. This year is our 30th anniversary and we decided to celebrate by going to Kenya. Spirit of Kenya was excellent from the start. From the planning stage with Tiago to pick up at the airport by Moses, out trip started out great. We visited Tsavo West, Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha and Maasai Mara. Out guide was Sego and he truly was the very best. We saw everything we wanted and more. This truly was the trip of a lifetime.
DE
Email Eva, Marina, Marlies | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unique Experience
We would like to express our deep gratitude for the excellent organisation of the Safari and the marvellous tour guide George. We spent a unique time in Kenya’s national parks and spotted countless animals (e.g. all of the big 5 on the very first day in Masai Mara). Sure, we were lucky, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the professional driving and observation skills of George throughout the whole tour. Please forward warm greetings and best wishes to him!
We will recommend your company to anyone we hear of planning a safari tour in Kenya.
Best wishes from Germany and we hope to participate in another tour from Spirit of Kenya in the future.
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Email Kelly | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unbelievable value for the price— already planning our next trip back!
My husband and I chose to spend our honeymoon bouncing around East Africa for a few weeks. When we first came across Spirit of Kenya's 'Off The Beaten Path' itinerary and saw the price tag, it seemed too good to be true. Now that we're back and we know it was, in fact, real, it STILL feels too good to be true! We cannot recommend this company highly enough, but I'll try.
We reached out for more info and almost immediately received a personal response from Vanessa who walked us through everything from start to finish. We LOVED Vanessa! She was so responsive every time we reached out with questions and made sure all resorts we chose were aware of our dietary needs (vegan). She answered questions about different African visas, walked us through wiring our deposits, advised on packing lists, and just overall made all our planning flow smoothly.
Spirit of Kenya made it so easy to customize our trip by offering different resort tiers at each of the parks— budget, mid-grade, and luxury. All resorts regardless of the level were phenomenal and the 'budget' options actually ended up being some of our favorite stops! We'll be dreaming about the curries and soups at each of these places for years to come.
Our guide, George, was an absolute joy to spend 7 days with and seamlessly coordinated our many game drives, resort transfers, and hot air balloon excursion. He made sure we saw all the must-sees at each park (including driving around relentlessly to find us ostriches!) and gave us as much time riding around with the top popped up as humanly possible, knowing that was our favorite thing. We felt ridiculously well taken care of from start to finish.
We're already planning another return trip with our families and, when asked which parts of our trip we'd skip or change if we were to return with them again, we could not think of a single thing! Such a testament to Spirit of Kenya's expertly-crafted itinerary. We're forever grateful to the entire team who made our Kenya safari dreams come true and truly cannot wait to return and work with them again soon.
RU
Email Maria | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Dream tour with perfect service
It was perfectly organised trip, we would like to say biggest Thank you to all the team of Spirit of Kenya. The tour was individual, the guide speaks fluent English and was very attentive and polite. We saw many animals, including even lion hunting, cheetahs, leopard, elephants, hippos, giraffes, etc. In hotels, we lived in villas where zebras and monkeys came. For 5 days we got a lot of unforgettable impressions.
Email Vandana | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional attitude with great service
From the first contact with Vanessa at Spirit of Kenya to the last day of this amazing trip..all I can say is one word “excellent”. Vanessa responded to all my queries promptly and professionally. Nothing was too much with the changes and always made me feel at ease. All the tours and service were organised with no glitches. Our tour guide George was great and worked the tour around what we wanted. I would highly recommend contacting Spirit of Kenya to organise your safari trip!