Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris Limited Staff Photo
Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
- Located In:
-
United States
Taiwan
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- KATO, Eco Tourism Kenya & KTB
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $60 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Daniel Downey & Lynne Kelly - Downey | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent from start to finish don’t hesitate just book your safari with Twinkle Star!!
This is the company to organise your safari it was AMAZING!!
So from the very first contact James was superb very keen to make our dreams happen and he for exceeded them!
If you are looking to book a safari do not hesitate contact James you will not be disappointed he is a genuinely lovely man and the Safari was epic!!
We had a private safari and our guide Kaleb was amazing it was like he already knew us and treated us so well he really is a great man and a brilliant guide.
Kaleb had amazing instinct and vision like superman we’d be driving along and he’d stop and say there’s a lion in that bush and on first sight we couldn’t see but then he positioned the vehicle and he was spot on every single time.
His love and respect for the animals was admirable he knew how long was too long and never disturbed them but at the same time knew where to put the vehicle so we had great views.
James/Kaleb
Thank you both so much it really was the trip of the lifetime and like I say anyone looking for a brilliant Safari contact James immediately you will love Twinkle Star Safaris!!
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Aug 9, 2023Hello Lynne and Daniel Downey
Thank you for sharing your safari experience and taking your time to give us a detailed five star review. We are glad and thankful you found Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris Ltd very helpful in planning your Trip. Hopefully, this shall not be your last Safari with us. We look forward to hosting you, your friends and family in the near future.
Asante Sana!
Email Bryan | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Booked us an amazing Safari
Twinkle star tours were incredibly helpful through the whole process. Helping us have an amazing honeymoon!
Our guide Moses was amazing, incredibly knowledgeable and couldn't do enough to help us
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Aug 9, 2023Hello Bryan,
Thank you for sharing your safari experience and taking your time to give us a detailed five star review. We are glad and thankful you found Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris Ltd very helpful in planning your Trip. Hopefully, this shall not be your last Safari with us. We look forward to hosting you, your friends and family in the near future.
Asante Sana!
DE
Email Julian & Leslie | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari Experience
Great Safari, very well overall planning, highly recommended to everyone!
We found twinkle Stars through SafariBookings.com and decided for them because of reasonable pricing and a fast reply. We were not disappointed. We were so satisfied with Twinkle Stars that we also planned other trips with them such as transfers, a visit to the Kisite Marine Park near Diana Beach, a Day-Hike up Mt Longonot and more. Everytime we got exactly what we wanted.
Some of the absolute benefits were:
- uncomplicated and highly flexible planning; even though we startet with a pre-planned 10 day trip, it was no problem to customize the trip according to our needs/wishes
- absolutely amazing guide; our guide was Albert and like most other reviews we can verify that the guides are one of the highlights; make sure you get along with your guide and he will provide you with a truck-load of knowledge, information and stories
-perfect nature/wildlife and accomodations; we saw everything we could have dreamt of and all accomodations were beautiful
Some tips:
-make sure you are in contact with the real Twinkle Star to avoid scams; during the planning stages you should only deal with James Collins Oketch; also cross-check Email adress and phone number with their website to make sure
-make sure to have a fixed agreement on everything including type of car, exact accomodations, activites etc. to avoid conflicts
Suggestions for improvement:
-make the payment process more transparent/accessible; payment is only possible through cash (who wants to travel with that amount?) or through a bank link (Credit Card); admittedly we did not feel well when we transferred a large sum of money towards an unknown Kenian bank account (no problems, but still scary); I am sure a payment method through PayPal or some official provider would reassure a number of customers
Thank you for an amazing time in Kenia
Julian & Leslie
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Nov 11, 2022Hello Julian & Leslie,
Thank you for sharing your safari experience and taking your time to give us a detailed five star review. We are glad and thankful you found Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris Ltd very helpful in planning your 10 Days Kenya Trip plus transfer excursion to Lake Naivasha, Mombasa and Diani. Hopefully, this shall not be your last Safari with us. We look forward to hosting you, your friends and family in the near future.
Asante Sana!
BR
Email Rafael Lisboa | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Trip of a Lifetime
My wife and I did a 10-day safari with Twinkle Star Tours for our honeymoon while in Kenya. We had an incredible experience during the safari and it was a trip that will be remembered for a lifetime.
Shortly before the tour was set to start some hiccups happened with the payments, and James (tour organizer) spent hours upon hours with us making sure everything was settled and taken care of, one way or another. This is a company that truly cares about its customers, and the overall experience.
During the safari itself our guide was also called James. This dude was honestly one of my favorite things about the whole trip. He was extremely knowledgeable about anything and everything dealing with the animals and the locations we visited, and had an answers to all of our questions- and we had lots of them. His contagious laughter and easy-going attitude made the 10 days we spent together an absolute joy, and i could tell that he truly enjoys what he does.
The lodging booked for us was also on point. All of the places were extremely clean and comfortable, with breathtaking views on just about all of them. It was the perfect mix of adventurous tent-like places you’d expect on a safari, with just the right luxury touch. Just as an extra, I would also highly recommend stopping by the Maasai village for a meet and greet, which was an optional stop for us. It was life changing….
Thank you James and James for making this absolutely incredible experience possible.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Jun 15, 2022Hello Rafael Lisboa,
Thank you for your great review on the experience you had with us for the 10 Days Private Luxury Safari in Kenya. Despite all what happened before your safari, we tried our honest best with good understanding to make sure you have a wonderful safari. We appreciate your generous feedback about our Company Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris Limited and Big thank you for acknowledging our guide James who demonstrated great guiding skills. We look forward to hosting you and your friend and family in the near future.
Asante Sana, Karibu Tena
James Oketch
DE
Email David and Jan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Twinkle Star is client-oriented, flexible and offers high value tours.
I am currently a resident in Kenya and my brother David visited me over the Christmas - New Years' holiday. We spent most time with our friends in Narobi and at the coast, but also wanted to make a safari to a national park which was a completely new experience to my brother. I wrote to some safari companies and James very quickly responded to offer detailed solutions for the planning of our safari and time line as we envisioned it. We eventually settled for a four-days trip from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara. Our resort was a very beautiful luxury tented camp with a fantastic view over the planes and very friendly and accommodating staff. Our safari guide Simon was very experienced and knowledgeable and took us for a couple of unforgettable game drives through the Mara where we got to see the big five in addition to many other animals. The organizer also accommodated our request for a morning safari walk and we visited a Maasai village on the second afternoon. We will definitely consider to choose Twinkle Stars again for future safaris.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Jan 18, 2022Jambo David and Jan,
Thank you for choosing Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris Ltd as your Tour Organizer, for the 4 Days Masai Mara National Reserve. We are glad you found your Tour Planner, James very communicative, responsive, and helpful from the beginning until you finished your safari. We also appreciate for recommending on our guide Simon who demonstrated incredible skills and knowledge during your safari.
Hopefully, this shall not be your last Kenya Safari with us. We look forward to hosting you and your friend and family in the near future.
Asante Sana!
James Oketch
CA
Email Jody | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Private 16 day Best of Kenya and Tanzania reduced to 15 day for airline covid schedule
Our Tour was a private 16 day Best of Kenya and Tanzania that was modified 2-3 weeks before departure due to Flight being cancelled due to airline Covid schedules.
Twinkle modified itinerary and removed Lake Victoria from safari.
We visited Samburu, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Amboseli National Park.
What Twinkle Star Tours doesn't mention anywhere on there site is that they sub contract Tanzania portion of tour out to a Tanzania company. I would suggest if travelling both countries to do more research. Lucky for us Tanzanian guide from 7 Wonders was Excellent.
We went from Sept 8 to Sept 22 2020, we had booked last year and were uncertain with all the Covid travel bans, Kenya opened up August 1 to international travel and they have done a great job with all the covid protocols.
The driver wore a mask all the time, all the lodges had masks, sanitizer, hand washing stations and plated service.
The Safari itself was really good, lots of wildlife, the lodges were all excellent, the food even with a condensed covid menu was all really good.
I would modify itinerary and remove Lake Nakuru and spend that day in the Mara or Ol Pejeta , the Sweetwater tented camp is amazing there.
I would skip Lake Manyara its flooded and about 4-5 m higher than normal and add a day to the Serengeti due to its sheer size .
The Safari would have been a 4-5 star rating except for some things that detracted from everything that was great overall.
The driver/guide Willie took us to a convenient Masai village near the gate , I think there are better examples of a Masai Village available.
The driver/guide Willie was inconsistent in his driving ability, sometimes too slow on highway and too fast in the park, he also seemed to use same path twice in some parks and struggled with time management. Willie was very friendly and chatty and always pointed out all flora and fauna and birds and all species of animals we passed.
James the Owner/Manager of Twinkle Star promised us a $ 350 refund for dropping Lake Victoria off the Safari which was very nice due to the last minute changes beyond both our control.
Unfortunately he didn't deliver on that promise and gave a bunch of excuses before finally giving us a third of what was promised.
He doesn't understand the way to be successful in a service industry is to Never Over Promise and Under Deliver... Always Always Under Promise and Over Deliver and you will have Happy Customers.
Date of experience: September 2020
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Sep 29, 2020Jambo Jody Banton,
Thank you for rating your 15 Days Kenya and Tanzania Combined Safari Experience.
We appreciate for recommending our experience during your great safari
In Tanzania, we have our corporate agency who we work together and they deliver excellent service and you witnessed that. As per the relationship between the two countries, any clients coming from either side are dropped at the border to be picked by another guide.
Willie is our guide and best of our guide as well. Our guides are trained very well to go with a good medium speed of 80km/hr-90km/hr in the public roads while carrying our clients and in the park, it's recommended to go at a speed of 40km/hr due to animals without driving off-road. This is to avoid accidents on the public roads and inside the park. Driving too fast in the park is unacceptable and we have taken note of this and we will rectify it with our guide.
On the refund, we were to refund you a difference of USD 350. Unfortunately, the accommodation we had booked at Serengeti National Park(Serengeti Sopa Lodge/Serengeti Wilderness Camp), was not yet opened, and to avoid inconveniences, we booked and upgraded you to Serengeti Serena Safari Lodge. After all our sacrifices, we refunded you USD 100.
Otherwise, we believe we offered you Great Safari despite the Covid19 challenge and we really apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Regards,
James.
TW
Email Sharon | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic 3 days Masai Mara Safari
We had a Great time on our 3days days migration safari at Masai Mara. Benson on the company organized our safari very professional and ensured our safety during the Safari and also in the camp we were booked in. Michael, our guide was very patient and answered all our questions in a polite manner. He took us to Mara river during the full day to witness Wildebeest migration as this was main purpose to visit Masai mara, we saw thousands of wildebeest crossing the River. We also saw the four of the big five; Lions, Buffaloes Leopard and elephants. Wildlife and nature of masai mara Wasa amazing. We recommend twinkle star tours for any visitor to Kenya as they organize and offer amazing experience professional. Many thanks to Benson and Michael.
NZ
Email Lee & Larry | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Couldn’t ask for more....Over and above all expectations!
We were booked for a 12 day private Safari of Kenya and Tanzania, we had 4 absolutely amazing days of at the start of our tour, then unfortunately we had to call it quits as the world went mad with Covid 19.
Those 4 days though were absolutely faultless and everything we had ever dreamed of, we saw so much wildlife, with the best guide ever....Willie...Aka Double Whiskey (not what you think)...which made it easy for us to have to make our decision to cut short our safari when we did.
We were met in Nairobi and drove to Lake Nakuru, where we saw our first encounter with Zebras, Baboons, Rihno, Water Buffalo, Pelicans, Flamingos, Giraffe, Warthogs....and then a pride of Lionesses and their cubs... as it was late afternoon/sunset we were the only party left when the Lions decided it was time to go on a hunt....walking down the middle of the road.... we could not believe our luck - we followed them (just us) and watched them frolic for a good 30-40 mins.
The next day we had another game drive on the way out of the park, where we again encountered all that we had seen the previous day....including the pride of lions again - this time with the King of the Jungle there too.
Overnighted at Lake Naivasha the 2nd night, where cheeky monkeys came down and stole food off our table whilst we were eating....too quick for the staff that were on “Monkey duty”.
Our 3rd and 4th day were at the Masai Mara National Reserve. Before entering the National park, we visited a Masai Mara village, danced with the warriors, went inside their home, made fire and observed their way of life. Once inside the national park we had close up encounters with elephants, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, wild dogs, hippos, wilder-beast, ostriches and numerous types of gazelles, vultures and at night in bed we heard the hyenas.
Wille our Guide was absolutely fantastic. We at all times felt safe with him. He went above and beyond our expectations. When we came across wildlife, he would stop the vehicle and we would sit there; as would other tour operators, but after 5 mins or so, they would leave....but we stayed...for as long as it took...and it was once everyone else had gone, that we often saw things that other tours would have missed. I have an amazing video of a lioness growling at something that she was unhappy with approaching. Willie would park us so close to the side of the road to see the wildlife that often you felt like you could just reach out and touch them.
When we were booking our tour, we had reservations about travelling to Kenya and Tanzania in March - but now having been - in our opinion it was a great time to go....it was still hot and there was still other tour operators around, and often we commented how hot and how crowded it must get in the peak times. We certainly did not miss out on seeing anything by visiting in March. We also thought when we were booking our tour, that we would prefer to have other people on safari with us - but again it just being the two of us, meant we could stay, go, when and how long we wanted to.
Twinkle Star Tours were very professional in all their communications. It was a pleasure to deal with both James and Benson. And when we had to make the hard decision to cut short our safari, they did nothing but support us in our decision, and went out of their way to help us with rebooking flights, hotels, and have offered to keep the remaining 8 days of our trip available to us when it once again safe to travel the world.
We would absolutely and completely recommend Twinkle Star Tours, do not hesitate to book a any safari with them - you will be well looked after!
Thank you James, Benson and Willie, we look forward to seeing you all again, and will be recommending you to all our family and friends.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Apr 16, 2020Jambo Lee and Larry,
Thank you for reviewing your safari experience with us.
Thank you acknowledging our driver guide Willie who made sure you have seen all the big five within a short period of time. We also thank you for appreciating James and Benson for in time communication and proper planing of your safari.
We regret and really apologize as you you did not complete your 12 days Kenya and Tanzania Safari due to Corona Virus pandemic. The management of Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris, has kept your file open and we hope this pandemic will end soon to welcome you again to complete the remaining part of 12 days Kenya and Tanzania Safari.
We appreciate for recommending Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris to future visitors in East Africa. As our Word is our Bond, Our customers comes first.
...We Care for you...
#Wash your hands#Sanitize your hands#Keep social distance#Stay Home#
Karibu Tena
Regards,
Benson
US
Email SUSAN NGUYEN | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
" PERFECT BUDGET SAFARI
My husband and i first time at Kenya safari operated by Twinkle Star Tours . Our guide/ Driver by young men name Jeffrey , he was Excellent , and knowledgeable in his work . We very much enyoy it , and we looking forward on next trip soon with you.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Sep 27, 2019Jambo Susan,
First of all we want to thank you for choosing Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris in your 7 days budget safari in Masai Mara, lake nakuru, lake naivasha and Amboseli National Park.
We are delighted to here you had a wonderful safari and thumbs up for reviewing your 7 days safari experience in kenya with us
Thank you also for acknowledging your driver guide Geoffrey who made your safari excellent.
Asante Sana and we welcome you again to Safari with us.
US
Email Laly | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I was very satisfied and they delivered what they agreed to!
I was looking for a tour company located in Kenya. I came across Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris and I spoke to James and told him what I wanted, what I could afford, I was traveling with a teenager , and that I wanted to see the Great Migration. He came up with an amazing Safari that was very affordable. He offered me a 12 days Safari to Kenya and Tanzania.
James and his family greeted us to Kenya. We visited 6 National Parks and saw the Great Migration from the banks of the Masai Mara Reserve. AWESOME!!!!
We experienced a variety of very comfortable accommodations including the tented camp in the Serengeti (my request). All the accommodations, food, servers, and guides were great. James contacted us everyday to make sure everything was going the way we had agreed to.
If you’re planning to visit East Africa, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TWINKLE STAR TOURS AND SAFARIS.
Reply from Twinkle Star Tours & Safaris
Posted on Sep 3, 2019Jambo Laly,
Thank you for reviewing your Kenya and Tanzania Safari Experience with Twinkle Star Tours and Safaris.
We are happy that you had a wonderful and great time with driver guide on your 12 days safari in Kenya and Tanzania.
We are glad you appreciated the fantastic accommodation we booked for you and good flow of communication with James.
We are glad to have arranged this tour plan for you and we welcome you again
Asante Sana.