Our Team with guests
Lenchada Safaris
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2015)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $400 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
US
Email Carol | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic tour guide!
Post
Overall, my safari experience was a mix of highs and lows, sprinkled with valuable lessons for future travelers. Here's my detailed review:
Before delving into the adventure, a vital tip: When booking through TripAdvisor, be aware that there are both luxury and budget options available. I mistakenly chose the budget option without realizing there was another tier. For those seeking a more lavish experience, it's advisable to book directly through Lenchada.
Here's what I wish I knew beforehand:
* During the safari, you'll rarely leave the vehicle, so there's no need for specialized "safari" clothing or hiking shoes.
Day 1:
Positives:
* Promptly picked up from our hotel at 7:00 AM, we arrived at the Lenchada tented camp around 2:45 PM, making a single stop for sightseeing, souvenirs, and restroom use along the way.
* The evening game drive in Maasai Mara was a highlight, lasting about 2.5-3 hours and offering sightings of three of the "Big 5" animals.
* Despite the long drive, the abundance of wildlife and stunning photos made it worthwhile.
Negatives:
* The camp's electricity was only available from 5:30 - 7:00 AM & 6:30 - 10:00 PM in the dining hall via a generator, making charging inconvenient. No outlets in room and lights only work during generator operating hours.
* Hot water in the tent's bathroom was inconsistent, despite assurances of continuous availability.
Day 2:
Positives:
* Full-day safari in Maasai Mara, lasting about 10 hours.
* Unique a sighting of a pride of lions (17!)
Negatives:
* Woke up at 5:30 to charge camera/phones but generator had issues and didn’t work until 6:00 am when we had to leave for the day.
* Lunch consisted of unrefrigerated items (6+ hrs - lunch meat, yogurt & chicken), leading to concerns about food safety as a non local. Limited restroom availability also influenced the decision to not partake.
* Some periods of the safari felt slow, with minimal wildlife sightings as we hunted for specific game or travel from location to location; no one’s fault - nature provides and can’t be rushed.
Day 3:
Positives:
* We had the option to visit a Maasai Village before departing for a travel day ($20 per person), providing unique cultural insights and experiences.
* Interaction with the locals and participation in traditional activities added depth to the safari experience.
Negatives:
* The visit to the Maasai Village included high pressure sales tactics to purchase goods from villagers. Instead of enhancing the experience, I felt swindled and disheartened detracting from the positive aspects of the trip.
* Discomfort from flies and cow manure was unavoidable at the village site.
Day 4:
Positives:
* An early start at 6:30 AM took us to Lake Nakuru, where we completed the "Big 5" sightings with memorable encounters with rhinos, flamingos, and a RARE leopard sighting!
* Brief hippo boat ride allowed for unique photos not available in the previous parks visited.
Negatives:
* The shortage of meat during lunch due to multiple groups converging at the same time was disappointing, impacting the overall dining experience.
* The presence of mosquitoes at Chambai Safari Hotel posed a problem, affecting the comfort of our stay - leave windows closed if at all possible (no a/c in room).
* Staff advised dinner at 7pm at arrival but then woke us in our rooms at 5pm to get our order and advise that dinner would be at 8 pm - dinner did not arrive until roughly 8:30 while we sat and waited as the only diners.
Day 5:
Positives:
* We enjoyed a scenic walk in Hell’s Gate with sightings of zebras and giraffes along the way.
* Visited geothermal generation station which I found very interesting!
* A quick but satisfying lunch capped off our safari adventure before being dropped off at the hotel around 2:30 PM.
In conclusion, while the safari experience was fantastic and filled with unforgettable moments, there were notable drawbacks. Positives: Staff throughout all of our stays were kind and helpful. The vehicle was in fantastic condition, immaculate, and had one window for every person which was great (especially for those of us who get car sick). During the safari, there were no constraints to getting the perfect photo, I always felt like I was right in the action either by looking out the window or over the pop up top! Our guide did everything to get us into the position to see the best animals and was in constant communication with other guides via radio and cellphone to ensure the best experience for every group. The relationships between guides was impressive and enhanced the experience, we would have missed the pride of lions and leopard otherwise! As far as drawbacks, the food was repetitive and very limited in selection, accommodations (specifically the hotels) lacked basic amenities such as functional TVs. Additionally, better communication regarding restroom breaks, lunch times, drive times, arrival times, etc. would have made for a better experience but truly, I couldn’t have asked for a better guide to get us right into the action of it all!
Guide: 4.5/5
Animal Sightings: 10/5
Accommodations: 3/5
Food: 2/5
DE
Email Dominique | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great tour
I did the 3 day budget safari to Maasai Mara and had David as my guide. It was my first safari and an amazing experience. David was a great driver / guide who was knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The only thing I would say that could be improved is communication- what the plan is for the day, when we will be eating etc.
The parks had an abundance of wildlife (saw many of the big 5 apart from a rhino and leopard). The vehicle was in good condition (Land Cruiser) and the accommodation was really comfortable - I wad expecting a lot worse for the budget option. The passengers of our car had been spread across 3 accommodations which where quite far apart. Due to the bad roads it took approx. 45 min. to pick up/drop off everyone. Thus, one thing I had wished for is that the people you are in an accommodation with are also the ones in your car - to avoid unnecessar in the morning and evening (loosing precious time to see the wildlife). Alternatively a meeting point just outside the national reserve could be introduced where passengers of the car could be swapped according to the tour operators/accomodations.
If you want a more detailed description, then you can read my travel blog entry for this safari: https://findpenguins.com/6jjjgruit3szw/footprint/65c92fec1d1a40-06088084
CA
Email James B | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Decent company and good safari (for budget)
We did the 4 day budget safari to Maasai Mara, and Nakuru and had David as our guide. It was our first safari and an amazing experience. David was a great driver / guide who was knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. The only thing I would say that could be improved is communication- what the plan is for the day, when we will be eating etc.
The parks had an abundance of wildlife (saw all the big 5 apart from a leopard). The vehicle was in good condition (Land Cruiser) and the accommodation was really comfortable- we were expecting a lot worse considering we opted for the budget option. One thing to remember is the driving required to get to the places as we had a 4 day safari but in reality only did 1 full day and 2 half days of animal viewing.
Something to note is the vehicles essentially fill up with people from many different companies so if you’re booking a group tour, I would recommend just trying to get the best deal. We had done the research and chose this company due to good reviews however in our car of 7 people, there were people from 3 different companies. This was a bit disappointing. Also the communication with the owner wasn't great (we only got sent the pre safari info the night before (after having to ask for it to be sent) which didn't leave time to get any items we were missing.
Our guide David was nice and friendly. Once area for improvement would be communicating the plans a bit more (we would often drive for a few hours in the morning before being told what we were doing / when we would stop that day).
Also, I would recommend going in dry season as it is a lot easier to see animals (we struggled at times as it had rained a lot).
IT
Email Simone | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience!!
Our tour included 2 days in Masai Mara, 1 in Nakuru and 2 in Amboseli.
All the trip was well organised in every services. 4 stars only because when we arrived at agency departur they changed our lodge without any previous advice. Despite this inconveniente the new camp/lodges were nice too.
Denis was the best driver that we could have. He’s kind and avaibale for everythings you need. With him we saw the big 5 and other more animals without any problems to the jeep.
I recommend him!!
Email Anonymous | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari but....
Well organized Safari, saw the Big 5 with Moses. Great guide but kept talking about how many women he has , how he uses them , some of us understand the language so to hear that was absolutely terrible.
CW
Email Semb07 | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The guide is an important role in your experience
My first contact with Lenchada was with Alex, he was very great to deal with very attentive and made sure all my needs were met. The driver that will pick you up from hotel was also very nice and hospitable.
On the start day of my safari I was assigned a guide in a group joining safari as I was a solo traveler. They assigned me to Richard, he was the best guide I could ask for on safari. He was sharing information along the road about Nairobi, about the animals and most importantly he made sure everyone saw their favorite animal and complete the checklist of viewing the big five.
Unfortunately on my 4th day of safari they split me from my group and guide as I had booked another route to Amboseli for my last 2 days to complete the 6 days.
I was assigned a guide Izachiel, worst guide ever! I wish I ended my safari on day 4 with Richard.
I did not feel safe with him on the 5 hours drive to amboseli at all. We almost crashed 2 times, first time he took a break so abrubt that he had to turn of the land cruiser or for safety the cruiser turned off by itself not sure. The second time it was a bit dark and we almost crashed in some crossing cows.
When I arrived at my lodge also I didn’t feel welcome after the long drive.
And to complete this whole nightmare with Izachiel, I told him from the start that my interest in visiting amboseli was to view Mt Kilimanjaro
2 days we stayed in amboseli he did not even show in which direction I needed to spot.
Weather was cloudy but I think he could have at least showed that he cared and make some effort and communicate better.
All by all I arrived back safely in Nairobi but I was not happy at all with the end of this trip. Could have saved some money and do only a 4 day trip. So my advice is that overal Lenchada is a good company I would recommend most of employees are very professional but be wary of types like Izachiel.
(some images removed for privacy reasons)
Very informative about the safari
Overall the tour was a lovely experience. All of the guides were well informed and shared plenty of knowledge to the tourists. The most pleasurable part of the trip was meeting members of the Maasai tribe.
CO
Email Javier | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good
Our guide Evans is very good! friendly and helped us all the time
SG
Email Levi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Responsive
Had a great time with Lenchada exploring the Mara. Geemon our guide & driver is very polite and knowledgeable. The camp site is comfortable and the food is satisfactory. Do time yourselves for a great trip ahead!
NL
Email Johanna | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Affordable and amazing
I did the six day tour, Maasai Mara, Nakuru, Amboseli. It was an amazing experience, beautiful parks, and I saw the big 5. Thanks to our great tour guide Peter an Moses. Accommodations were basis, at least in Maasai Mara, but along the trip they got better. But for that price, it was very good.
I recommend to change a little bit in the program, because the one night in Nakuru, makes it a long day from Nakuru to Amboseli. You spend almost 12 hours in the jeep.
But thanks Peter and Moses for the great experience, the amazing driving and your great eyesight. You guys see everything. Communicating with other tour guides in the park makes that you most likely see all of the big five.
