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
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.
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.
US
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!
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.
US
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.
US
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
PT
Email Rui Pereira | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience!
We booked a 4 day safari in Kenya (Lake Nakuru and Maasai Mara) and the transfers in Kenya and in Zanzibar. The booking process was smooth, they answered the emails very quickly, adjusting to our requests, thanks to Vanessa.
We had a great time in Lake Nakuru and even more in Maasai Mara where we were able to see the big five and more.
Our guide, Erastus Mbugua, he is a very guide, the driver skill is good , the animal knowledge is good . We find all the animals we want to see. He told us a lot of things about the animals .
Great customer service (Vanessa), and good drivers/guides made our transfers and the safari an unforgettable experience.
I definitely recommend Spirit of Kenya.
CO
Email Santiago | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Impeccable Service
Great service overall. Tiago responds emails within an hour and is always ready to help out customizing every single detail of the Safari. As soon as you arrive at the airport, Spirit of Kenya takes care of absolutely everything. We had Nestor as our Driver/Guide and he was amazing, always willing to go beyond our requests.
US
Email SP | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent operations and value
SoK were excellent every step of the way. The tour went as planned and they were prepared for every day's activities. Our driver/guide John was friendly without being too much on top of you. The car itself was perfectly suited for the safari. Even when we had a mechanical issue, our guide was focused on making sure we weren't too inconvenienced. The customer service was excellent overall.
The safari itself was great. We did a 6-day tour so the pace was perfect. We saw almost everything we wanted to see and much more. We let our guide know what we were looking for and he went above and beyond to deliver that to us. Some parts of it were a bit disappointing (eg, we never got the chance to see the Mara river crossing) but that is more about how the animals were behaving than anything to do with the tour. It's a safari and not a trip to the zoo, after all. A list of animals we saw on the trip: wildebeest (felt like millions of them), lions (including a couple of beautiful males), multiple cheetahs (as they were feeding!), leopard, rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, and antelopes of all kinds. It was a total blast.
