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
ES
Email Fabian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect Day Tour to Lake Nakuru from Nairobi
Everything from the booking experience to the tour itself went smoothly. The communication with Tiago was spot on. They arrived on time and we were able to pay the remaining balance on the spot in cash and even with credit card. The drive from Nairobi to the Lake Nakuru National Park is quite long, but we anticipated that. We had the bus to ourselves, which made the ride somewhat comfortable. The park itself is just stunning. We saw three black(!!) and a couple of white rhinos, hippos, giraffes, warthogs, primates, and countless zebras, antelopes, and buffalos. Since the lake is quite flooded, you cannot use the usual road as our driver explained. Therefore, you circle the entire lake and even go to a higher lookout on the western side of the lake (amazing views). We spent about 4-5 hours in the park and had lunch at the Flamingo Hill Tented Camp, which was delicious and the staff was super friendly (we may want to spend a night or two there when we come back to Kenya). Overall it was a great experience and we would highly recommend Spirit of Kenya to anyone traveling around this beautiful country.
Email James | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Outstanding from start to finish
I had never heard of Spirit of Kenya before I started to research the holiday, and selected them purely due to the positive Tripadvisor reviews. I am so glad that I did.
Vanessa was so helpful in the booking process, always quick to respond to emails and available on the phone when needed.
The itinerary that Vanessa guided us towards selecting was perfect. Martin our guide was outstanding. Everything that you want from a guide - friendly, knowledgeable, and probably most important of all - he was a very calm and safe driver.
There is one particular piece of advice that I would like to pass on. Vanessa recommended Eagle View camp for our stay in the Masai Mara. It is in a private conservancy, just outside the main Masai Mara area. It was such a good recommendation, and I would strongly advise anybody to stay in a private conservancy rather than the main Mara. We saw all the big 5, so many lions, and there were never more than two or three other vehicles looking at the animals at the same time. We took an afternoon trip to the main Mara, and then realised just how pleased we were not to be staying there. There were at least 30 vehicles surrounding one group of cheetahs. A private conservancy gives you a much more personal experience.
FI
Email Jato | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
5 star tour with a 5 star operator
My wife and I had visited National Parks in Tanzania and Botswana. This time we wanted to experience Kenya. After a rather lengthy online scanning for possible tour organizers I ended up contacting Spirit of Kenya. What a good choice that proved to be. I was impressed immediately by the very prompt reply to my enquiry. Once we got started Tiago the tour organizer helped me through the booking and planning process step by step. As a casual traveller there are a few things you definitely appreciate. That is a sense of trust and professionalism with your partner. Among other things you are about to transfer quite a large amount of funds overseas. With Tiago I never had any doubts about his and his company’s honesty and integrity.
The tour we chose was a 4 days Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara safari. Here and there the roads in Kenya may be quite bumpy. Not least inside the parks. In that respect our choice of minivan as a vehicle was probably not the best. However the extra cost for Land Cruiser in relation to benefits felt too high in our opinion. As it turned out minivan was really alright. But that is a decision everyone has to make themselves.
Our guide was Steven. He is a very skilful driver. His capability to navigate in Nakuru and Masai Mara is impressive. Despite having a van instead of a jeep we never got stuck in the mud, had no flat tires or any other problems with the car. Because of some heavy raining at nights the dirt roads in Masai Mara were partly heavily soaked. We did witness some cars being stuck in the mud. However it was nice to see the comradeship among the guides. Help is always available. Steven seems to know everyone out there. Communicating and information sharing between drivers seems to be essential in these safaris. Steven was a fitting guide for us. Some characteristics stuck out. He has an appearance of a very friendly, polite and quite modest man. Still you get the feeling that this guy knows what he is doing. Experience and professionalism sticks out. With him you are in safe and knowledgeable hands. As a guest there is just one thing for you to do. That is to relax and enjoy. He takes care of the rest. Safari guides have an exceptional ability to spot animals even with their plain eyes. Steven spotted a leopard in a tree. I simply could not see it until I took the binoculars. Amazing! Steven’s overall expertise further strengthened my opinion of Spirit of Kenya as an outstanding tour operator.
You can’t choose the weather or what you want see in the park. Lady Luck plays a major role. As I had some previous experiences of safaris I had some hopes to witness something extra spectacular. That did not fully happen. But it was not a problem. Fully realising that live safaris are not like TV documentaries. To witness for instance a ‘kill’ requires some extra luck. We saw the big five and all the major famous savannah animals. For me it was personally rewarding to see cheetahs. I had missed them in my earlier safaris. We saw two with their fresh kill. And even the next morning we saw another one eating his impala breakfast. In Lake Nakuru we saw several white rhinos and in Masai Mara among dozens of other fascinating sightings a mating couple of lions. In Masai Mara we stayed in Julia’s River Camp right on the banks of river Talek. At night we could sense and hear hippos moving, eating grass and grunting just next to our tent. What a captivating experience! Hey, we really are in the middle of wilderness!
We had a splendid time on our safari tour and I can sincerely give Spirit of Kenya full marks for the manner the whole trip was conducted in every aspect. If I choose to have yet another African safari I don’t need to look far for the organizer. Without hesitation I also dare to recommend Spirit of Kenya for all those who are pondering which one to choose from several tour companies.
CR
Email Daniel Chaves | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and memorable experience
Let me start by saying that the Spirit of Kenya wasn’t our first option for our safary in Kenya.
We started requesting quotes from multiple companies online and after some time we ran into Spirit of Kenya. After having our initial email exchange with Andre - our Spirit of Kenya representative - there was no question on which company we were going to go with.
He was incredibly responsive, we were coming from Central America so there was a huge time difference, Andre was always responsive, helpful, respectful and proper. He would provide options and recommendations around which tour to take and how to save some money since we were traveling during Christmas season, we ended up changing our mind over which route to take several times and he was very accommodative. His professionalism did not change a bit after we did our payment and he continued to be extremely supportive as we prepared for our adventure.
Andre was definitely the reason we picked the Spirit of Kenya for such an important event (going on a Safari).
Upon meeting Franco (our driver for the tour) it was clear to us that we had made a great choice. We went for the mini van which is absolutely comfortable. The route was fantastic, we were able to see the big 5 and the beautiful nature in which these beautiful animals live. Franco is a very well educated individual which is great if you want to have a conversation about cultural differences, economics, nature, or whatever topic you want to touch during the long drives. At the same time he has a great personality always very respectful and fun to be around, he has a ton of experience with these sort of tours so it was great to have that in our advantage, he seemed like he was a reference for other less experienced or younger drivers which is why we ended up calling him Franco "The Legend".
Franco is definitely the reason why we would pick the Spririt of Kenya again.
Based on experience, I know that booking a safary in Kenya can be overwhelming, it is also a rather expensive experience and if you are first timers in Africa – like we were – it can be scary. I would definitely recommend this company they made our experience in Kenya an absolutely beautiful and memorable experience.
US
Email Olivia | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Spirit of Kenya is reliable and accommodating for a perfect adventure.
Vanessa helped plan our entire safari vacation. She responded to every email within 24 hours. We had many questions, requests, and customizations for this trip and Spirit of Kenya delivered. All activities and accommodations we wanted for our safari were included making for a full itinerary of all experiences we sought after. Communication and organization is top notch. I would highly recommend Spirit of Kenya because all of the thinking and planning was taken care of so we could focus in the upcoming trip.
CA
Email Matthew | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Safari Experience
My teenage son and I had a great experience courtesy of Spirit of Kenya. John was our tour guide, and he was friendly, courteous, knowledgeable and obviously very experienced, overall an excellent guide. We saw an amazing amount of animals in a short time, definitely more than expected or compared to what I have seen on other safaris. The accommodation at Julia's Camp was excellent, with very friendly and helpful staff. The food was also very good, including some local dishes. The booking process and pickup arrangements were also very professionally done. I would definitely recommend Spirit of Kenya to anyone traveling to Kenya.
FR
Email Jean-Michel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect Safari with Spirit Of Kenya
We discovered Spirit Of Kenya by chance by looking at ratings on Tripadvisor. We did not regret our choice !!!
First of all, before departure, the responsiveness and precision of the answers provided by André were essential for our preparation. The possibility of easily choosing our course and the accommodation was very significant.
Once in Kenya everything went wonderfully. Great punctuality at the meetings, our driver and our guide were absolutely incredible, very friendly, careful on the road and knew the places very well.
We are French and left at 4 for a week with a private Land Cruiser and made the park of Samburu, Aberdare, Lake Nakuru and the Masai Mara.
We absolutely recommend Spirit Of Kenya for your trips to Kenya.
Email Thalia and Matt | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A truly wonderful safari.
We have just returned home from our first ever safari and cannot recommend Spirit of Kenya enough. We came across Spirit of Kenya online and were impressed by all of their positive reviews. Right from the first email, communication, organisation, planning and tailoring our trip were second to none. Special thanks to Vanessa for her incredibly prompt responses, clear communication (fluent in English), professionalism and excellent level of detail. The planning process was easy, efficient and personalised to our every need - thank you very much Vanessa.
We went for the Taste of Kenya Safari which comprised of one night at Lake Nakuru and two nights in the Maasai Mara. This duration of trip was perfect for us and we were lucky enough to see all of the animals we had hoped to see in the wild. The pride of lions, the elephant, rhino and giraffe families and the hippo pools were special highlights for us. Simon, our personal guide for the whole trip, was a star - excellent at spotting all of the wildlife, from small birds to big game, and navigating the sometimes challenging routes through the Maasai Mara (recent rains had made things tougher than usual). Thank you for your expertise and for looking after us so well, Simon.
We stayed at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge and Amani Mara Camp, both of which we would highly recommend.
Thank you very much Spirit of Kenya, a well deserved 5 star rating from us, would highly recommend and would definitely use again.
CO
Email Olga & Stephane | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our lifetime experience by far
Thanks to Spirit of Kenya we lived the best experience of our life. What a guide we had. His name is Charles. He made this experience unreal. Always taking care of us and willing to explain about animals, culture and national parks, he knows everything. On top of that he is a great human being, always making you feel safe and pleased during the whole trip. Thanks Charles for being such a professional safari guide and such a great human being. We will never forget this experience.
CA
Email Scott | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful Experience with Spirit
My family had a wonderful experience with Spirit of Kenya - they absolutely exceeded our expectations and I would recommend them without hesitation. They are honest, reliable, deeply knowledgable and friendly.
I lived in Nairobi years ago, and thus went back and forth in deciding on a final itinerary. Tiago suggested different itinerary options; he was patient, super helpful, responding to all my questions within hours, adjusting our trip, providing lots of hotel and other options, and (once we finally decided) arranging hotels and internal flights between Masai Mara and Amboseli. Tiago brought to me attention that we had overpaid by $200, and we were reimbursed upon our arrival. A Spirit of Kenya driver met us at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta airport in the late evening, which was great after 24 hours of traveling from Canada.
For six days, Joseph drove us to Aberdare, Lake Nakuru, Hell's Gate and Masai Mara. In addition to his impressive knowledge of the countryside, wildlife and the national parks, Joseph was friendly, funny and warm. Similarly, George was our guide at Amboseli, finding lions, cheetahs and (of course) elephants, as well as explaining the area's remarkable birdlife.
Of course we all await the pandemic to end. When it does, my family is already talking about another trip to Kenya, and our choice - without hesitation - would be Spirit of Kenya.