Patrick with guests at Taita Salt Lick
PD Tours and Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2013)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Heather | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing 6 day safari in the Maasai Mara
Just had a 6 day safari with Patrick. This is the second time we have had Patrick as our guide and cannot recommend him and his company enough. He went out of his way to do everything he could for us. He always got us in the best position to take photos, knew when the wildebeest would cross the river and had eyes like a hawk to spot animals and birds from a distance. He would take us on safari whenever we wanted staying out all day with breakfast and lunch boxes some days. I cannot recommend him and this company enough.
FR
Email Déborah | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A dream come true
4 magical days, a unique experience with two great guides who have done everything to make this experience unforgettable!
4 days and 3 nights: 3 parks: Tsavo East, Ambosseli and Tsavo West! I highly recommend this safari and this team !!
ASANTE SANA!
US
Email Becky Pokora | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Absolutely Wonderful!
This was my first African safari, but I've traveled extensively all over the world (including hiring private drivers) and this is an excellent operation. All of my communication prior to the safari with Patrick was personalized and thorough and he was willing to work with us to find the right itinerary and lodges to fit our budget.
On the trip itself, we traveled with Kenny. He was an excellent game-spotter, very skillful driver (including in some mudslides and flooded roads, on account of unpredictable weather), always punctual, and always smiling. He was fun to chat with, and during drives from one park to the next, we got to know more about his life and hobbies, Kenyan culture, different types of animals and birds, local foods, holidays, customs, etc.
The van itself was in great shape, with comfortable seats, working seatbelts, and the pop-up roof was great. There were only 3 of us traveling, so we had plenty of room to spread out (it could seat 8 + driver, although I'd recommend a maximum of 6 for your own comfort and maybe less if you have lots of luggage). We had no engine issues, just had to refill the air pressure in a tire along the way, which was a quick fix before it was a major problem and Kenny had a spare tire AND a donut tire just in case, so no worries there. Kenny also kept the van spotlessly clean. He must have washed and vacuumed the car every evening!
On our 5 day/4 night safari, we spent one night each in Tsavo East, Tsavo West, Taita Hills, and Amboseli. All of us agreed that Tsavo and Amboseli were fabulous; all of us thought Taita was "just okay". I think 1 night at each was fine, but then again, I like seeing the changing scenery and habitats. If you want to spend two nights somewhere, Amboseli is the obvious choice. We (independently) did Naivasha & Nakuru after our official safari and both of those are lovely as well if you are looking for additional inspiration. We skipped the famed Masai Mara because it was still wet/flooded from rainy season; in dry season I'm sure it's fabulous!
Overall, we saw TONS of wildlife. You'll want a set of decent binoculars and a camera with good optical zoom, but you'll also quite a bit up close. Some of my favorite sightings: 11 lionesses in a row at Tsavo East at sunset, elephants playing in a watering hole at Tsavo East, Somali ostriches running in Amboseli, red zebras (from the dirt) at Tsavo West, jackals in Tsavo West, male bushbucks challenging each other in Taita Hills, gerenuks in Tsavo East...
Quick thoughts on our lodges:
- Voi Safari Lodge in Tsavo East had great views from the room/restaurant/pool/hide but abysmal food.
- Lion's Bluff Lodge in Taita Hills had great views overlooking the valley, good nighttime game drive (operated by the lodge), but since there's no pool and no wi-fi in the rooms, there's nothing to do between lunch and the evening game drive.
- Ngulia Safari Lodge in Tsavo West...there are probably better options in this area. I didn't like that the lodge baits a leopard outside the lodge for nighttime viewings (unethical) and since the food/rooms were nothing special, I'd ask about alternative lodges.
- Kilima Safari Camp in Amboseli had a great observation tower, beautiful property, massive rooms, and fabulous staff.
We ultimately had to skip one of our game drives in Amboseli because roads were closed (flooding) and Kenny was incredibly apologetic about this change in plans. It was obvious that neither he nor any other driver knew about this in advance -- a whole bunch of groups were in the same predicament. Kenny kept us safe from potential problems and did as much as he could to ensure we still saw wildlife outside of official park boundaries. Hakuna matata; we still had a wonderful visit.
We contacted a few operators before our trip and PD Tours was middle of the price quotes we got. For the incredible service and quality of vehicle, I am very pleased. Payment was made fully in cash while in Kenya. I would budget an extra 1500 shillings (US $15) per person per day to cover bottled water at meals, a daily sundowner or two, and tips for lodge staff like porters, bartenders, servers, and housekeepers. I would also budget generously for tips for your driver...they earn every penny!
NL
Email Wilma | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic
It has become an unforgettable safari Thanks to Patrick who organized it for us. The contact also went very well. I would definitely recommend him for anyone who wants to book a safari to Kenya
PL
Email Maja | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very professional, well organized and very nice pilots!
I had two safaris - one day in Tsavo East National Park and one day in Wasin Island, very well organized, with excellent pilots - Kenneth and Omar.
Patrick - the owner came for a meeting to work on details about safaris. Very happy that I found PD Safari and Tours. I recommend this tour operator!
CH
Email Nicole | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfectly organized, trustworthy, dedicated, reliable and courteous- everything you could wish for
PD Tours survived the Corona restrictions well, as did we, so finally off to Kenya again! For us it was the third safari with Patrickˋs Dream Tours. We know Patrick and know that he is absolutely reputable and trustworthy. The planning went easily and smoothly, we paid only on the spot, no deposit (because of the Corona conditions it could have happened that we could not travel). We found that very accommodating of Patrick, because he himself has quite work with the preparation.
We had again an unforgettable safari. Every time it is different. This time it was extremely dry and the November rains were long overdue. Animals in Tsavo East were rarer than expected, but then all the more crowded at the water holes filled by people, without which many animals would currently die of thirst. As always, Patrick also found the special moments for us and we would like to thank him!
CH
Email Nicole | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Best safari of all
We are returning safari guests and always go on safari with PD Tours. After we had already visited several lodges, we made the programme ourselves this time. Patrick contacted us about a week before the safari and recommended a slight change to our programme, as there were almost no animals left at one particular lodge due to the drought. That was great, he was absolutely right and with his recommendation for an adjustment our safari improved considerably. See the pictures for yourself. We had wonderful moments with many animals, although tears were shed because of the drought, as even some animals died in front of our eyes. If you are delicately disposed, I recommend Tsavo East, there the soil is rich and the animals are quite fit despite the drought. We stayed in fabulous lodges this time (SaltLick and Satao are my new favourites), a bit more expensive but fantastic! This was our best safari of all.
