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 Susan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect safari from planning through end of trip
This was a major vacation to plan and Tiago from Spirit of Kenya made it easy. He was so patient with our requests and planned the perfect safari trip down to each minute detail. Everything from the time we landed in Nairobi went off without a hitch. We were picked up at the airport and taken to our Nairobi hotel and then picked up the next morning by our Safari Guide George. He was wonderful and taught us so much. A great driver as we experienced unusually heavy nighttime rains which caused muddy and very hard to navigate roads. George always got us through them and kept us safe. He was so intuitive finding the animals and we saw everything. Also very informative and gave and taught us such valuable information!! All of our accomodations were lovely and we enjoyed them all for various reasons. Tiago was good at giving us a variety of places to stay! Christmas and New Year's Eve celebrations were great. We had a great birthday party at our first camp to celebrate my friend's birthday that will probably be her most memorable birthday ever. Everything about this trip was perfection!
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Email Darrel V | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding Experience
I had the opportunity to use Spirit of Kenya for my recent safari to Kenya. The booking experience with Vanessa was excellent. She was patient with my questions and very diligent and clear in the booking process. Once I arrived into Nairobi I was greeted by my guide, Charles. My feeling were that he was the absolute best. We literally saw every animal and way more than what I expected to see. I thought it was awesome when Charles my guide, who does this for a living was also taking pictures of some of the most amazing experiences imaginable. Thank you Spirit of Kenya for this incredible experience!
AE
Email Nakul Jain | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beyond expectations - Franco our guide, the accommodations, food, abundance of wildlife we saw
An African Safari is one of the most memorable and lifetime adventures - and I am so glad we did this with Spirit of Kenya (having asked for quotes and comparisons from about a dozen travel companies).
Of course, when you book with travel companies, there is a lot of gloss and fancy language on brochures and websites, and you are very happy if they deliver 8 out of 10. But here I would say - it was 10 out of 10, as every promise they made was kept, and even exceeded.
The booking process with Vanessa was a most pleasant and thorough experience. Right from guiding us on choice of National Parks (because there are so many to choose from and the permutations confuse you) to designing an itinerary which lets us have the most packed adventure covering the maximum length and breadth of numerous National Parks, to suggesting the places of staying at each Park, and my smallest of queries - like where to buy SIM or where to get Macadamia nuts, Vanessa was of utmost politeness and patience in answering everything. She was extremely gracious and polite, and whatever time of day I wrote - I got a reply promptly or the next early morning. Sales Managers stop acting pleasant once the money is in, but not the case with Vanessa - she really is your personal curator for the trip. I can say she treated us like 'friends and family' in giving us everything for the trip and helping us plan it.
The places chosen to stay were terrific - the Camps / Lodges are right in there in the most pristine and central regions of the National Parks, and very-well maintained and full of the most delicious (we are vegetarians and got ample options) food and terrific hospitality. Great choices made by Spirit of Kenya.
We covered Masai Mara (stay at Ilkeliani Camp) - Lake Nakuru (Flamingo Hill Tented Camp) - Amboseli (Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge).
Franco Sego - our guide for the whole trip was extremely affable and a pleasure to be with. Very diligent and committed to his job. The best guide and friend we could have had. Very knowledgeable and skilled in knowing the movements of animals. I can give some examples - While we started Masai Mara at 7 am, and he said he will bring us back around 4 pm .. he brought us back around 6.30 pm in the day .. taking all those extra hours out of his own rest time .. just because he realizes that while he sees wild animals everyday on the job, but for us probably it is the only chance in our lifetime we will get to see them - and he puts his heart and soul in getting us a good and close view of every animal he can find hidden somewhere. Two hours in finding a hidden leopard, where other Jeeps gave up and went away. Letting us catch a Cheetah in the hunt while nobody else bothered to go that far and wait that long, because other Jeeps saw the chances as slim of finding that, while Franco thought it would be heart-throbbing for us if we could get to witness that rare spectacle. Another example - While we had seen over 20 lions and lionesses over 6 times in the day at Mara, late in the evening at 6 pm, he traveled 5 kms extra to one side of the park near our camp, and showed us another pride of lions. He said he had heard a roar of lions the previous night somewhere near the camp and wanted us to find them. That's the kind of stupendous commitment he has to the job. From all the guides I saw across in other jeeps, and other Safari vans of different operators - I can say Spirit of Kenya does hire the best and motivates them well - the guide was classy, well educated, extremely neat and polished in his appearance (more as a sophisticated naturalist I would say), communicates very well with his English and mannerisms. I think it's fair to say Franco is the reason we will do another trip with Spirit of Kenya to Tanzania or Uganda or Namibia in the next 2-3 years. The safari vehicle throughout the trip (Nissan 4x4) was a thoroughly competitive SUV for any kind of terrain and supremely comfortable with an excellent viewtop. Everyday Franco would clean the car thoroughly from inside to make it look new. This was our home for most of the waking hours of the day, and completely satisfied with it.
Although the cost seemed quite high at the beginning (as is for all African safaris), and we begin to think the costing is exorbitantly exploitative and travel company is making a ridiculous amount of profit - after having done the trip, we would say it is well worth it. We didn't spend a single penny from when we were picked up from Airport, covered the entire trip and were dropped back at Airport. Everything included - which covers some 800 plus kms of distance between the 3 National Parks, the distance covered in the park itself - which would be almost 70-100 kms in a day, the entry cost of National Parks, the cost of guide staying at same places as we do, the full board - every kind of breakfast lunch dinner tea coffee evening snacks you can gorge on is covered, the back office operations, vehicle maintenance cost - you realize at the end of it, that whatever you paid had been ploughed back into the various nitty gritties of managing your experience and comfort and well-being for those 5-6 days, and you feel satisfied that you have paid a very reasonable price. It's an honest pricing by Sprit of Kenya and the trip well worth it.
It is a great operator, kind and always was on line for every question. Our guide, Steven was great
The tours and the communucations was better than my expecrations. The service was supreme, our guide Steven and Vanessa our contact by email and WhatsApp, both are very kind and a very good professionals. Thanks!! The parks and nature are amaizing.
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Email Andy M | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Two Week Luxury Safari by Spirit of Kenya EXCELLENT!
Trip of a lifetime thanks to Spirit of Kenya. I contacted Spirit of Kenya (SOK) in March 2019 to plan a two week Safari for me and my wife. After getting some initial information, and after many comparisons with other recommended Safari Tour agencies, I chose SOK. The communication was quick and efficient with many options for places to visit and accommodations. Vanessa (Happiness Assist. Manager) worked with me via email and telephone and was also my point of contact while in Kenya and Tanzania. She was wonderful. In Essence, SOK helped me build my personalized Safari. We traveled in October and everything ng was perfect. Friendly and Knowledgeable English speaking local guides; Courteous service; Absolutely stunning accommodations; Overall spectacular experience that makes me want to return to Africa to do this again. We travelled to Amboseli near Mt. Kilimanjaro and our guide "George" was a virtual African anthropological and biological expert. He could name plants and animals and then describe, in detail, what they were commonly used for or how they existed. George spoke English fluently and clearly and accompanies us everywhere. We felt safe, secure, and well-informed with George. George made it so we saw and photographed the Big-5 and countless more wildlife. We visited Masai Mara where Spirit of Kenya and George arranged for us to visit a Masai village where I jumped with the Masai warriors while my wife sang and danced with the Masai women. We will never forget that experience. We visited the Great Rift Valley, Hells Gate where the "Lion King" movie was set, and Lake Naivasha where "Out of Africa" was filmed and where we enjoyed a boat ride to view an abundance of wildlife including hippos. Then we had SOK plan our three days in Zanzibar for some relaxing beach time. It was similarly and meticulously planned. Our resort was all-inclusive and we had nothing to worry about. The weather was fabulous and we had a chance (as coordinated by SOK) to explore Stone Town. We returned to Kenya but had an extra 2 days. Not to worry Spirit of Kenya, with no prior coordination, helped me plan an extra day in and around Nairobi to visit the national park, a giraffe feeding park, baby elephant orphanage, and a very famous restaurant. Moses was our guide and he did a fantastic job of keeping us busy and informed. My wife and I wanted to stay but finally we knew we had to come home. THANK YOU Spirit of Kenya. You are a fabulous company; well-run, and you clearly care about your customers and their satisfaction. We will return to Africa and will ONLY consider working with you. Thank you again for a trip of a lifetime.
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Email Benjamin P. | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unreal Safari in Kenya and Tanzania !!
A big thank you to Spirit of Kenya and Soul of Tanzania for an amazing safari !!
First off, I would like to thank Vanessa for designing the perfect safari for my mom and I: she always replied to my emails very quickly (and we exchanged a lot of emails!) and made me feel very comfortable with the whole booking process. The entire execution was flawless: planning, airport pickups, lodges, food, guides, game drives... All expectations were exceeded ! Our guide Carlos was awesome: very professional, knowledgeable about all animals, courteous, always super punctual and the right amount of friendly ! Plus, he has an impressive ability to spot animals way in the distance. I would highly recommend Carlos !!
As for the obvious, the animals: We saw the big five and MUCH MUCH more !!
Cheetahs feeding on a fresh kill, three adolescent lions chasing warthogs, a male ostrich performing a courtship dance... too many things to list. It felt like being in a documentary ! One of the best trips ever. (and I've visited over 35 countries)
Look no further than Spirit of Kenya for your dream safari !
Email Garry | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An experience of a lifetime
Having never been to Africa let alone a safari we did not have any idea of which company we would use. Having done a little online research we opted for “Spirt of Kenya”. They offer totally flexible private safaris where from the hotel in Nairobi your Driver and tour guide transports you door to door for the entire journey.
From the very beginning where we emailed “Spirit of Kenya” Tiago quickly sorted an initial itinerary from our requirements. We wanted to see lots of wildlife and see part of the great animal migration in the Masai mara from a hot air ballon. We were offered a good choice of levels of accommodation. We upgraded on a few where we would be staying for more than 1 night and would highly recommend “ The Sarova Salt lick Lodge” in Tsavo West , “Ol Tukai Lodge” in Amboseli and “Entim private camp” in the Masai Mara ( where you stay under canvass in an unfenced encampment ). All of the accommodation was made better by the excellent friendly staff who could not do enough to ensure your stay was comfortable.
The hot air ballon experience was well worth the extra cost. You float above the landscape for an hour or so getting a great views of the wildlife then after landing a champagne breakfast set up in the bush.
We don’t eat meat but we need not have had any concerns about the choices of food available for breakfast, lunch or evening dinner . Some of our accommodation choices offered self service buffet others “a la carte” . There was always plenty of fresh fruit , salad veg & fish on offer. At the Entim private camp the chef actually came out to talk us about what we would eat. It’s all the more amazing when you consider most of the camps are a long way from anywhere along some rough tracks.
You have to be up early most mornings but it’s worth seeing sunrise over the vast landscapes. If you are too early for breakfast there is always good coffee and cake to get you started.
Our driver Simon is a very experienced guide and we are convinced has superpower eye site. He could spot a camouflaged animal at considerable distances whilst driving . We would only find it after we had stopped and with binoculars in hand. His knowledge of the wildlife was incredible - birds, plants snakes included. He easily managed to navigate in the parks along tracks , across rivers , with no signs anywhere. There are some long drives along tarmac highways and out of park dirt tracks where you get to see some of the rural aspects of Kenya including interesting chats with Simon on the politics of the country which to us is all part of the experience.
We would not hesitate in recommending “Spirit of Kenya” if you are looking for an experience of a lifetime.
Garry & Noeleen
CL
Email Agustin | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great trip but tour guide below expectations
We book a 5 day "High End" in Amboseli, Navaisha and Masai Mara. The email comunication to prepare the trip was tediuos. We expected the executive to give us better recommendations for planning the trip. They never let us know that they were going to pick us up at the airport in Nairobi! I had to made the transfer on my own.
Regarding our guide, he comply with the schedules and he was friendly. He was very worried that we could see all the animals as well. However, he did not communicate much with us during the games drives and did not keep us informed of what we were going to do during the day. Moreover, he was not very open to listen to questions or explain. Finally, the day we were arriving at Masai Mara's tented camp, the guide got lost along the way.
Accommodations were great. Excellent attention, great food, very comfortable rooms and very relaxing surroundings.
We had lunch outside our acomodation just once. The last day, when we went from Amani Mara to the airport we stopped for lunch on the way in a restaurant that was far from being the standard of the tour I booked (High End). I will not extend talking about the supposed high-end binoculars and the surprise charge of 3.5% to pay by credit card (unacceptable).
DE
Email Adam | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic in all areas!
Everything was fantastic! Communication through planning, pick up, traveling, lodging, everything! Would highly recommend!
NL
Email Jort Ossebaar | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Well organised and very good service. Our best trip to Kenya.
We were extremely happy with choosing Spirit of Kenya for our 4th safari trip to Kenya.
We had Joseph as our guide during our 6 days in the Masai Mara (3 different locations) . He truly is an exceptional guide who was very flexible, experienced and went the extra mile and gave his all to make our safari experience one of the best we have ever had.
We saw absolutely everything in the Masai Mara. Some very special moments! Seeing the wildebeests cross the Mara river and see Cheetahs hunting. Things we had never seen before. In total we saw 87 different Lions, 4 different Leopards, 14 different Cheetahs and one Black Rhino during our 6 nights in the Masai Mara.
We had Charles for our days in Samburu. He was also an excellent guide and although we only had him for two days, we found him very pleasant and talented. We celebrated my wife's 40th at Ashnil Samburu and on that day we were lucky enough to see a stunning male Leopard with his kill up in a tree. What a great sighting! We stayed there and watched him for at least 1,5 hour. We couldn't have ask for more.
The whole trip was organised perfectly and we would definitely use Spirit of Kenya again.
