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Apodiformes Adventures
- Office In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Member Of:
- Kenya Tourism Regulatory Authority, AFRICA TOURISM ASSOCIATION & FRIENDS OF NAIROBI NATIONAL WILDILIFE CONSERVATION
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $75 to $250 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
NL
Email Robert Ellents | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great organisation, good hotels/locations and a very good driver /guide. Good car e
Good value for money, hotels exceeded our expectations- also they listened to our wishes (quiet rooms). Also good driving by our guide. Always on time, friendly.
AE
Email Leigh | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great driver/guide (Sebastian) office organisation could be better
We booked a 6 night Kenya safari for a family of 5 with three teenagers.
Our guide/driver, Sebastian, was amazing. A kind a gentle man, we were all instantly at ease with him. He made the effort to learn all of our names quickly and conversed with the kids, answered our questions and shared knowledge of his country readily, and with excellent English. Whenever we wanted to stop to take a photo or go to use the bathroom he was more than happy to oblige. When he didn't know something, such as the name of a bird, he didn't pretend and would find out later for us. Most importantly, the roads in Kenya are pretty wild with dodgy drivers and even dodgier roads, Sebastian drove expertly and safely the whole time while negotiating animals, huge trucks and long days behind the wheel. He made sure he took regular breaks to remain alert while behind the wheel. We could not recommend a tour with Sebastian highly enough.
The only disappointments we had were with the organisation from the company. We booked a Maasai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli tour (in that order) so that our family could spend Christmas day on safari and enjoy the amazing animals within the park. When we arrived we found our tour had been flipped with us travelling to Amboseli first and Maasai Mara last. This wouldn't normally be an issue, except that we had especially organised the tour to avoid a day of travel on Christmas. Our flight arrival time had been shared, everything had been agreed and sorted. To find out upon our arrival that we would be spending Chrissy travelling for 7 hours was disappointing to say the least. If we had been informed that this was not possible or our flight had been delayed we would have understood. We then realised that our accommodation had never been booked in the order we requested and this was not communicated prior to our arrival.
Once again, Sebastian is awesome, ask for him to be your driver. Book with Apodiformes for a great safari. We saw all the animals, we had an amazing time, the teenagers and adults loved it.
DE
Email Tolga | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent driver/guide, good communication
I have contacted many safari operators for our family vacation with two children. Silas was very communicative and responsive from the beginning and he gave us a good quote according to our preferences and favorite hotels (a total of 5 nights and 6 days, 2 nights in Amboseli, 1 night Nakuru and 2 nights in Masai Mara). I have made the booking in June 2022 and sent the first part of the requested deposit.
In June 2023 (four months before the safari), Silas told me that two hotels that we decided dont have availabilities (OL TUKAI LODGE in Amboseli has no availability since they will be hosting a safari rally event (MOTOR SPORT event) and ASHNIL MARA in Masai Mara has no availability since they are hosting a big Chinese group who are coming for a safari tour.) I was really disappointed, because I chose the hotels after a detailed search and really chose the promised hotels exclusively. We were offered KIBO LODGE in Amboseli and we were really pleased with the new hotel. However in Masai Mara we had to get ZEBRA PLAINS MARA which was a bit disappointing because the camp is not in the national park as our original hotel ASHNIL MARA, you have to drive 15-20 mins to get to the gate, the rooms/tents were dark, the amenities were a bit old fashioned and the food was served on the table, not open-buffet as in other lodges.
The atmosphere and food at KIBO LODGE and LAKE NAKURU LODGE were very nice, we really loved both lodges.
Our driver Samson was very kind and careful with the road situation. He was always on time, he informed us very well and he was flexible according to the needs and wishes of our children. He knew the parks very well. We felt very comfortable. He showed us many scenes that we will never forget.
Overall, we had an unforgettable safari experience. Thanks for everything.
US
Email Richard | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Almost a great safari
Let me start with the good as most of what we bargained for we did receive.
Silas was quick to respond to requests for information. He was waiting for us personally when we arrived at the airport in Nairobi. We did get to the parks that we requested. We had no changes in price or what was delivered. Our guide, Isaiah, was a good driver and answered most questions that we had with a Hakuna Matata "no problem" attitude.
Things that could have gone better? We were to meet Isaiah at the hotel where we stayed overnight so that we could be an early start to go to Samburu Reserve. We went to the reception area at 5:45 for a 6:00 start. At 6:00 I walked out into the parking lot to see if someone was waiting for us and saw no-one. At 6:20 I spoke with the receptionist at the hotel and mentioned the name Apodiformes and she said she had seen the van further out in the dark parking lot. Eventually we learned that we needed to go to the parking lot to find our van rather than be met inside our lodge at each park.
Not having Kenyan shillings with me I asked if we could stop at an automatic teller on our way to the first lodge. No problem. It was six days and multiple request for tipping money and small cash to buy souvenirs before we finally made that stop.
I made a specific request for a driver experienced in photography and birds, but found Isaiah was familiar, but not proficient in either. In spite of repeated questions about locations, animals, and history we only go brief answers to our requests, and occasionally inaccurate. In the case of the Ernest Hemingway bar at the Amboseli Sopa he replied that here was nothing special about it. It was just the second bar at the lodge and it was up on a rock. A quick Google about the bar reveals that it was actually a home built by the author and the stories told by the bartender about his uncle and the writer are worth stopping for a drink all by themselves.
We scheduled two nights at both Masai Mara and Tsavo East in order to make more that one game drive. At each we only went out one time in spite of the extra time allotted.
A little extra time in planning could have put us either in a lodge that made those game drives possible, or a stop at a smaller place of interest overnight could have shorted our multiple 7-9 hour drives between lodges.
The price was fair. We saw what we had scheduled. I got some wonderful pictures. It could have been planned better and a bit more interest in our safari could have taken this from a "B-" to an "A'" without a major investment in time or money.
LU
Email Gerald | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Professional and experienced safari operation
Very professionally run safari operation. Right from the start we were very impressed by the responsiveness of Silas who somehow managed to respond to any and all of our requests literally within minutes. Nelson was our guide on the safari and he did a great job finding and maneuvering us in the best positions to view all animals up close. We travelled in a well maintained Toyota Landcruiser and Nelson was also very accommodating to last minute changes we requested to our itinerary. Unfortunately he was not able to finish the safari with us as he had to attend to a family emergency and Apodiformes clearly struggled to find a replacement for him on short notice for the last day of our safari (1 day hike in Mt Kenya Nationalpark). We ended up travelling a distance of 3 hours (1 way) in a worn out and unsafe (e.g. Seat belts and lights only partially working) beaten up salon car. Our driver Samuel was very attentive and nice but the last day of our safari unfortunately was not up to our expectations. Generally a 1-day visit to Mt Kenya we found is not worth it especially when travelling all the way from Nairobi. Overall we had a great time though and would like to thank Apodiformes for the nice experience!
FR
Email Melite & Antoine | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great and unforgettable adventure!
We have just returned from a fantastic adventure which was a safari in Kenya including Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, Amboseli and then a few days to relax in Diani Beach. The services provided by Apodiformes Adventures were good and a good value for money, Silas was very responsive to help us organize the trip, which was much appreciated.
Everything worked well, the hotels were great (especially Kibo!) and we felt safe and comfortable the entire week of the tour.
A few recommendations to future travelers, you should withdraw local currency upon arrival (not easy to get during the trip) for tips and souvenirs, and do not forget binoculars to spot animals !
We wish we had stayed longer (9 days was intense) so we will be back!
FR
Email Allari thomas | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 parks, all the animals, nice people
The contact we have was really reactive. It let us ask as many question as we want
TR
Email Osman Yildiz | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
BEST experience!
We had the most incredible experience with Apodiformes Adventures! With a group of 5, it is hard to keep everyone happy, but Silas and Eric did! They accommodated us in every way and planned the perfect trip for all of us! The safari far exceeded my expectations. The driver(Eric) were so kind and knowledgable. The accommodations and food was good. They are also arranged a extra free boat tour in Lake Naivasha. Thanks.
NG
Email Daniella | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They are fantastic, from the hospitality, humorous driver and the safari game drive, a beautiful exp
Excellent communication, good service delivery and the safari was great.
IT
Email Giangi | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good operator, Terrific guide!
This was my third safari, the first just me and my 12 ys old son for 12 days
I should divide my review, one for for the support on booking/ organisation of the trip and another one the trip itself.
On the one hand, dealing with Apodiformes was always very easy; since the beginning, they has tried to find the best combination to adapt my request to my budget.
During the trip there were some issues regarding booking and organisation, but Apodiformes has been able to fix always them.
On the other hand, the safari guide Francis was a nightmare and made the whole trip quite painful!
Examples?
- the land rover was almost missing shoking absorber .. and this is crucial when you spend 10 hours per day on streets full of bumps and holes; the door opened during the trip
- the guide was very Often on the phone texting with who-knows instead of been focused on the drive
- often the tend of the land cruise didnt' close completely ... and at 6 am it's very cold
- lack understanding of the trip schedule ... it was me to tell where we had to sleep every day
- he skipped almost 1/3 of the game drives ... everytime with a different excuse
In each game, he was always far from the animal (we have always been on the back of all the other land cruise), no single explenation about parks, animals, ...never asked if we were taking good pictures/spots and if he could leave or if he had to stop.
One day he asked me to pay 200 US a ranger because of some problems with park tickets .. of course I called apodiformes and they fixed it
in few words ... 1 star is even too much.
To sum up, read the review about the best guide and ask to have some of them.