Julius Tact Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $300 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email John | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything was delivered as expected
Tlike to travel independently and using a travel agency isn't something l've ever really done.
For a safari in Kenya it's pretty much the only way you are going to be able to navigate it all without it driving you mad and especially trying to do it from the UK.
After reading the many reviews of Julius, T, Safaris on tripadvisor/ Google and having had some other quotes from Kenya based operators I got a very competitive quote from Julius and decided that he was the operator to deal with.
Please be assured, if you are like me, and very proactive on the organisational side, that there is an 'African Pace' to all of this.
Julius is not being deliberately slow at any stage and that everything will be okay and works out as you had discussed initially at the booking and deposit stage as you want.
It just takes time and Julius is clearly dealing with a lot of clients/ potential clients.
We were also slightly nervous about sending so much money ahead of leaving the UK by wise (deposit) and then the balance but it was all good.
We had a 7 day trip with my wife and two teenage boys taking in Nakuru, Mara, Naivasha and Amboseli before the train to Mombasa and a week at Diani.
We had George as our driver and we could only give him the best feedback as he was so patient with our boys throughout and listened to want we wanted to see delivering every time!
We got to see everything we wanted including a leopard in Nakuru, Rhinos, Cheetah and best of all for me the Migration had started and we also got to see a river crossing.
Thanks George, poli poli wins the day.
Email K.fraser | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible ❤️
We choose 7 days safari (Big 5) - Masari Mara/ Lake Nakuru/ Navaisha/Amboseli with private driver , and 4x4 land cruiser.
We have been pick from our hotel in Nairobi by amazing driver Biden.
We started our memorable adventure from Masari Mara where we stayed in tented Zebra camp .
Beautiful scenery, where we were woke up by lions and hyenas voices early mornings.
Drinking coffee with a beautiful sunrise and wild animals walking around was one of the best experiences in our life .
After breakfasts we went to Masari Mara reserve where in first day we seen almost all big 5 !
Our experienced driver Biden was amazing with chasing animals !
We have been impressed about his knowledge about the nature.
Seeing lions , elephants, cheetahs in their natural environment was absolutely breathtaking!
Big migration made me all emotional !
Next stop for us was lake Nakuru where we ''hunt'' rhinos!
Beautiful lake with lots of birds and chubby hippos. Absolutely stunning sunsets and sunrises. The lodge where we stayed was stunning!
Lots of animals around - specially cheeky baboons monkey which were waiting for us to open our balcony doors , so they could still our stuff 😂
View from our balcony was directed on savannah - fantastic!
Navaisha was a completely different experience where we use bikes with local guard to explore the nature and famous Simba hill , and Mufasa stone -inspiration for the Lion King movie. It was amazing to cycle around zebras, giraffes and pumbas !
Last stop for us was Amboseli nature reserve, where we seen so many groups of elephants! 20-30 elephants crossing your road in the sunrise was an absolutely breathtaking experience!
I have to say big thank you to Julius, who swap our hotel in Amboseli only because the previous hotel which he booked before had recently not the best reviews...Julius did this to us without our knowledge or any extra costs , what show us how fantastically looked after us , so we could have the best memories from Safari!
After 7 days we have been drop of to our hotel in Nairobi, where we stayed couple days more .
I am so sorry for a very long review, but I can say enough THANK YOU to JULIUS and BIDEN for making our trip to Kenya the best experience in our life! We loved there everything;
The beauty of the nature, fantastic and experienced game driver - Biden, hotels which Julius booked for us almost last minute, and all kindness and how Julius looked after us all our trip!
Amazing, amazing and amazing!
We can't wait to book next safari with Julius ! Asanye Sana ❤️
Email Helen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Personal Professional Service - Amazing Safari
I then came across JT Safaris online. A very different tour company to what we are used to and a very informal way of planning, but the reviews I read were very complimentary and Julius’ excellent reputation was clear to see. Julius wanted to know exactly what I was looking for and would WhatsApp me ideas regarding parks, activities and places to stay, which I either went with or changed if they weren’t quite right. We agreed on a 15 day itinerary with a couple of nights in Nairobi pre Safari and 4 nights on a Diani beach post Safari. Julius organised literally everything from picking us up when we landed at JLIA, to park/trip tickets, hotels and our return domestic flight down to Ukunda/Diani. We paid approx 45% in advance and the remaining balance when we arrived.
We were greeted at JKIA by a very warm & friendly Dominic, who became our driver and guide for the duration of our safari. Dominic was amazing, easy going, chilled, funny - he worked tirelessly driving us from park to park and then delivering each game drive with such enthusiasm and good humour. He is a skilled & safe driver and has a wealth of knowledge which he readily shared with us as he answered our endless questions. His understanding of the animals was awesome and his ability to spot so many different birds that we would never have noticed - all whilst navigating difficult terrain. Dominic went out of his way to help us find literally every animal - and by day 2 we had already spotted the ‘Big 5’ as well as the Samburu ‘Special 5’ Throughout our safari, Dominic planned our best routes to keep us safe and away from drama (we were there during the riots/protests)
What was most impressive was when I became ill, Dominic immediately offered to take me to hospital. On declining this, he arranged for the camp nurse to see me and must have updated Julius. Within 15 minutes, the nurse was with me and I received several messages from Julius checking I was OK and that I had everything I needed. The care I received from the wonderful nurse at Samburu Simba Lodge and JT Safaris was exemplary and greatly appreciated.
On our last day, we needed to get to JKIA to pick up our flight to Diani. It was destined to be a difficult day as the protesters had planned to block all access roads into the Airport. As always, Dominic was prepared for this, he planned for us to leave extra early to ensure he got us there safely and before the protesters impacted our route. The whole holiday was seamless, thanks to Julius' meticulous planning and our fabulous Safari guide Dominic. I would highly recommend JT Safaris and hope to return very soon. It really was a dream come true. Thank you JT Safaris.
Email Caroline | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Delivers what is requested!
Booked basecamp package via Julius, his rates were very reasonable compared to booking direct. I paid by credit card. Communication was good although a couple of prompts were needed at times. Julius is very genuine and WILL deliver whatever you request. He must be incredibly busy so give him time to respond and just follow up if you are unclear about anything. Julius also sorted out transfers to and from the airports, John our driver was on time, well mannered and was very helpful. I would definitely use Julius again if I’m lucky enough to go back to Kenya.
Email John | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Honesty
What can I say but what great service honesty and integrity Jt Safaris was the highlight of our holiday .
The team he used for our Masai Mara safaris was so knowledgable and polite they made it a holiday we will never forget
We got to see the big 5 and the ugly big 5 and had lunch twice in the Mara which was amazing
Everything from take off at Diani beach onwards Julius was on point with everything that he had arranged.
A totally trustworthy company I would highly reccomend a private vehicle as you will get a much more personal service
We stayed at Mara Maisha campsite which was out of this world the staff there and camp were also out of this world
The food was the best ever
Thank you so much Julius and the team
NL
Email Sabrine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Nightmare safari
Stay away from JT Safaris!! Despite glowing reviews, we believe were scammed by Julius, which ruined our family’s safari trip to Kenya and Tanzania for my parents’ 65th birthdays.
We booked the trip nine months in advance and paid 50% upfront, with the remainder due six weeks before departure. Everything seemed well-organized, and our driver, George, welcomed us at the airport. The first few days went smoothly, but things quickly went downhill on my mom’s birthday, only the fourth day of our trip.
The prepaid hot air balloon ride—my mom’s birthday gift—had not been paid. Julius claimed there was an issue with the bank transfer not reaching the accommodation in time. Because it was Sunday, he asked us to pay the $1,800 USD by credit card so that we wouldn’t lose our reservation, promising an immediate refund when the banks opened on Monday. Since there was no reason so far to doubt him, we followed Julius's suggestion.
The next day, we found out the Maasai Mara park fees (another $800 USD) were also unpaid. Julius related this to the same bank transfer issue and again promised to resolve it.
Right before crossing the border to Tanzania, our driver showed us a signed copy of the bank transfer on his phone that Julius had asked him to show us. The exchange to our new Tanzanian driver went smoothly, so we felt relieved and hoped we could continue our trip without further issues.
During lunch, we discussed our Tanzanian itinerary with our new driver and immediately noticed his concerned expression. He was upfront with us, revealing that his version of the itinerary listed different accommodations than what we had booked. While the accommodations were good, they were not the ones we had booked and were significantly cheaper than those we had paid Julius for.
Throughout the trip, we had to constantly chase Julius for answers, which put a lot of negative energy, stress, and pressure on our family trip. Julius never communicated proactively, always offering promises and excuses, but never actual solutions. Given the positive reviews, we were shocked and deeply disappointed by the entire experience.
Unsurprisingly, we are still waiting for the $2.800 USD refund from Julius.
In short, Julius scammed us. JT Safaris is not to be trusted anymore. We truly cannot believe all the 5 star reviews after the experience we just had! Stay away!
Email Hayley | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari memories made for life
Booked way in advance and Julius helped me with decisions on where to go and camps to visit, our driver Dominic picked us up from the hotel in Nairobi and from then on we had a great time, lots of Masai massage with the bumpy roads but that’s to be expected, lake naivasha and Nakuru first and we had already seen 4 of the big 5 before we got to the Mara, this was my 4th safari and it’s still the best experience. Julius kept in contact while we were there and Dominic was brilliant and super knowledgeable. We got to see so many animals up close and witnessed attempted kills as well as post kills.
Communication could be better prior to arrival but you need to also know that in Kenya things are done differently than UK and polepole (slowly slowly)!is their vibe
NL
Email Chris | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect!
After reading the positive reviews we booked a 2 day safari with JT! They made a customized schedule based on our wishes and eventually had a private safari with Joseph. Incl. lunch at voi lodge and taita hills and overnight stay in the beautiful salt lick. Everything was well arranged and we also found the price very reasonable! It was an experience never to forget.
(automatic translation from Dutch)
NL
Email Raoul Rozestraten | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
We booked our safari with JT Safari's, which is across the street to our resort, Neptune. Julius made sure we had an amazing guide for a 3 day safari through Tsavo and Amboseli. Our guide was Joseph: a great guy and very knowledgeable. Would absolutely recommend!
Email Becky | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very organised and excellent service
Well, well, well what can I say – absolutely amazing from start to finish, memories that will last a lifetime. We have used JT safaris before when we visited Kenya and things were great so when returning to Kenya there was no hesitation to use his company again.
We contacted JT safaris from the UK and planned our trips, we sent a small deposit and then paid the rest when we met him once in Kenya. The organisation of the trips were ‘second to none’, arranged extremely well with our involvement once we was in Kenya. On arrival at Diani Beach Julius contacted us and we met up to finalise details and paid the final fee.
We completed amazing, absolutely memorable safaris which Julius arranged from start to finish. We visited Tsavo for three nights, two days and done the same for Maasai Mara – we were lucky enough to observe the big 5, obviously including a Rhino which was amazing to see in the wild. At Tsavo and Maasia Mara we had a private jeep for the three of us and a driver/guide. At Tsavo we did the night game drive which I would recommend, it is extra but worth it – while out we watched three female lions stalking and then going for the kill of the Gazelle’s (they missed but continued to stalk), saw night mongoose etc.
We had a great guide for Tsavo and an AMAZING guide in Maasia Mara called Robert (photo attached) if you go to Maasia Mara ask for Robert he is amazing, knows the land, animals and goes out of his way to find the animals that you want to find – it was due to his persistence and expertise that we saw the Rhino!!!!!!
In Tsavo and Maasia Mara we had the most wonderful/ amazing safari. We saw a Rhino, male lions, female lions with their babies, Elephants with babies, zebras with babies, cheetahs with teenagers, antelope, giraffes with babies, hippos, monitor lizard, ostrich with babies, buffalos, hyena’s, waterhogs, crocodile and so much more.
Both guides were really knowledgeable but Robert knew his homeland and the animals ‘inside out’, as a tribe man he knew where the animals would be and at what time, which way the wind was so where the animals would be – I could not recommend Robert enough as a guide he was absolutely amazing and I am almost certain that we would not have seen as much without him. Robert let us stay for as long as we wanted while we viewed the animals and it was so refreshing to see him being as interested in the animals as we were and some of the animals he took photos of as he said that they are rarely seen. We could not have wanted more. Robert’s knowledge and keen eye for spotting wildlife meant that we saw so many types of animals.
I genuinely cannot recommend JT Safaris enough. All our needs were catered for and it absolutely made our holiday. Robert was brilliant and when we do a safari again we will not hesitate to contact Julius and Robert. We could not have asked for better. I have two sets of friends who are visiting Kenya next year, I have recommended JT safaris and they are already in communication with him. Each safari and what you wanted, expected from the trip was designed with you in mind, personalised they were not ‘bog standard’.
Thank you for organising our safaris and making our holiday and experience amazing.
