ready to serve
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
BE
Email Mathieu | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Horrible vehicle for a luxury safari
We booked a 8 day luxury private safari. They sent an old land cruiser, dirty, no air bags, no operational seat belts, no air conditioning and a wild driver. We spent about 60 hours in that véhicule of which about 30 hours on dangerous roads between the 4 parks. Horrible, no value for money!
Reply from Apodiformes Adventures
Posted on Nov 6, 2024Dear Mathieu,
Many thanks for your detailed feedback. This helps us improve our services at Apodiformes Adventures.
I want to apologize for the challenges faced during your trip with us.
We wish you all the best and promise better services in future.
Apodiformes Adventures Team
HU
Email Lucía | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Poor Service, Unprofessional guide, and lies about compensation
I would like to share my experience with the 5-day Kenyan safari my husband and I went on. Unfortunately, we were both extremely disappointed with the services, and I feel it’s important to share this feedback so others can avoid similar issues.
0. Lies all around: First of all, I shared my review in September. After writing this review on September 1st, we reached an agreement with the agency for compensation. They claimed to have sent the money, but it never arrived, and they continued to give us excuses for almost another month. This only deepened our disappointment and frustration, and we find the entire situation outrageous.
1. Guide: The driver-guide we had throughout the safari did not meet our expectations at all. He acted mostly as a driver, which was disappointing given the price we paid for this trip. He barely provided any information, and when he did, it was limited to just naming animals. We didn’t receive any insights into their behavior, reproduction, or diet, nor did we learn anything about Kenya’s cultural or natural highlights. At one point, we resorted to using Google and ChatGPT for information. I asked many questions, but the guide often couldn’t answer, and sometimes he didn’t even understand due to his poor English skills. We were also left in the dark regarding the itinerary and how to prepare for the next day.
On the first day, the guide arrived 20 minutes late, and the vehicle had an empty fuel tank, so we had to stop for gas and even had to pick up water for the tour. These could have been arranged beforehand, and it felt unprofessional to have our experience delayed this way.
The guide also wasn’t familiar with the locations, which resulted in us getting lost in the Maasai Mara on the first day, causing us to arrive more than two hours late at the hotel. His inexperience was further evident in his driving—he didn’t open the door for us, spent too much time on his phone without a headset, and even made dangerous maneuvers, like cutting through a crowded market.
2. Ignoring Dietary Requests: Both my husband and I are vegan, and I also follow a gluten-free diet. I informed Silas multiple times via WhatsApp about our dietary needs, and he assured me there would be no issues. However, neither the guide nor the hotel staff were aware of these requests. We had to explain our preferences at every meal, catching them off guard. For three days, we had to spend hours looking for vegan options in shopping malls for our "picnic" lunch, only to end up eating in the car. On the last day, we were given ham sandwiches, eggs, and milk, which the driver later replaced with supermarket food costing only $3 per person. This was far below what we expected for a "luxury" trip.
3. Ignoring Anniversary Dinner Request: I had informed Silas several times that our wedding anniversary would take place during the trip, and we wanted a special dinner at the lodge. Silas assured us it would be arranged, but when we arrived, the lodge knew nothing about it. We ended up organizing a bush dinner ourselves, which cost $180.
4. Payment Issue: We initially planned to pay the balance of the trip by card, but Silas informed us of a 4% card fee, which was not mentioned or charged when we paid the deposit. This hidden fee only became apparent when we had no other option, and we felt this was unfair. Instead, we opted for a bank transfer, but this situation further eroded our trust in the agency.
5. Lack of Pre-Trip Information: We received no information or briefing about the country, what to pack, or other important details before the trip. While this might not seem like a major issue on its own, given all the other problems we encountered, it reflected the overall lack of care from the agency.
There are many other small details I could mention, but what was most disappointing was that these issues were evident from the very first day. I immediately informed Silas and requested a different guide. Unfortunately, his response was minimal—he simply stated that the guide was familiar with the national park and that breakfast is typically not provided on the first day (so why was it included in the itinerary?).
Overall, we are incredibly disappointed with the service. It is the agency’s responsibility to provide a competent guide and at the very least communicate special dietary needs to the accommodations, especially when these have been promised in advance. I strongly recommend that others avoid this agency and find a more reliable and established travel company.
The "cherry on top" is the we were scammed about receiving a compensation which never happened.
Reply from Apodiformes Adventures
Posted on Nov 5, 2024Dear Lucia,
Apologies for the hiccups during your trip. The challenge you had with our guide Nicholas is quite unfortunate. Nicholas has been a tour guide for 8 years now and we are surprised he could not even trace the correct routes in Masai Mara. I can confirm to you that we have already initiated internal investigations into his conduct. Meanwhile he remains suspended from work.
The only issue I would want to clarify is regarding your special Anniversary dinner which you feel you were overcharged by the camp - Amani Mara Camp.
From the onset I informed you that a special anniversary dinner and a sundowner are never part of the package we sell to clients - and that we can only include that in the cost upon request. These are extras meaning that they can only be arranged upon the client's request. I initially made you aware of all this important information and that is why I requested to have it booked by us on your behalf.
Now I have reached Amani Mara Camp (the camp where you stayed) and they have informed me they not only arranged for you a special bush dinner but combined it with a sundowner where special drinks (wines etc) and meals were served. For this you were charged 180$. The Hotel (Amani Mara Camp) have categorically stated that you were charged 45$ per person for the bush dinner and another 45$ per person for the sundowner.
I am sorry. We take your review seriously and will work on the issues raised for a prosperous future.
Apodiformes Adventures Team
HU
Email Mark | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Luxury price, budget experience with plenty of lies and excuses (AVOID!)
I want to share my disappointing experience with the 5-day Kenyan safari my wife and I went on. To put it bluntly, it was far from the “luxury” experience we were promised. I’m sharing this to hopefully save others from the frustration we went through.
0. Lies and Excuses: I first shared my review back in September, and we eventually reached an agreement with the agency for compensation. They claimed to have transferred the funds, but guess what? It never arrived. For nearly a month, we were strung along with endless excuses. Safe to say, our trust in them evaporated.
1. Guide (or rather, driver): We had a “driver-guide” who seemed to only focus on the “driver” part. We expected a knowledgeable guide for the price we paid, but instead, we got someone who could barely tell us the names of animals. We learned more from Google and ChatGPT than from him. His English was poor, and he couldn’t answer basic questions. To top it off, on the first day, he was 20 minutes late, and the vehicle’s fuel tank was empty, so we had to stop for gas. Water for the trip? Had to pick that up, too. Not the best start to a “luxury” safari.
The worst part? The guide didn’t even know the way around. He managed to get us lost in the Maasai Mara on Day 1, and we arrived at our hotel over two hours late. He wasn’t particularly attentive either—no door-opening, lots of time on his phone (without a headset, mind you), and some reckless moves, like speeding through a busy market.
2. Dietary Disregard: Both my wife and I are vegan, and I also need to avoid gluten. I made this clear to Silas multiple times on WhatsApp. He assured us everything was in order. But of course, neither the guide nor the hotel staff had a clue. We had to re-explain at every meal. For three days, we ended up searching shopping malls for vegan food to eat on the go. The “picnic” lunch we got on the last day? A random assortment from a supermarket that cost them maybe $3 per person. Luxury, indeed.
3. Ignored Anniversary Request: I’d told Silas several times that our wedding anniversary would be during the trip, and we’d like a special dinner. He promised to set it up, but the lodge staff had no idea when we arrived. We eventually arranged a bush dinner ourselves, costing us an extra $180.
4. Payment Surprises: Initially, we planned to pay the balance with a card, only to be told there would be an extra 4% fee—something that wasn’t mentioned when we paid the deposit. We ended up doing a bank transfer instead, but the lack of transparency was frustrating.
5. Lack of Pre-Trip Info: There was no pre-trip info about the country, packing tips, or what to expect. While it might seem minor on its own, given the other issues, it was just another sign of how little they cared.
There were other smaller annoyances, but these were the main issues. Right from Day 1, it was clear things were going downhill. I messaged Silas immediately, requesting a different guide. His response? The guide “knew the park” and “breakfast wasn’t typically provided on Day 1” (so why was it on the itinerary?).
All in all, this was a complete letdown. The agency is responsible for hiring competent guides and ensuring dietary requests are communicated, especially when they’ve been assured in advance. My advice? Avoid this agency. Find a reputable company that delivers on its promises.
The cherry on top? We’re still waiting on that “compensation” that never arrived.
Reply from Apodiformes Adventures
Posted on Nov 5, 2024Dear Lucia,
Apologies for the hiccups during your trip. The challenge you had with our guide Nicholas is quite unfortunate. Nicholas has been a tour guide for 8 years now and we are surprised he could not even trace the correct routes in Masai Mara. I can confirm to you that we have already initiated internal investigations into his conduct. Meanwhile he remains suspended from work.
The only issue I would want to clarify is regarding your special Anniversary dinner which you feel you were overcharged by the camp - AMANI MARA CAMP.
From the onset I informed you that a SPECIAL anniversary dinner and a sundowner are never part of the package we sell to clients - and that we can only include that in the cost upon request. These are extras meaning that they can ONLY be arranged upon the client's request. I initially made you aware of all this important information and that is why I requested to have it booked by us on your behalf.
Now I have reached AMANI MARA CAMP( the camp where you stayed) and they have informed me they NOT only arranged for you a special bush dinner but combined it with a sundowner where special drinks (wines etc ) and meals were served. For this you were charged 180$. The Hotel (AMANI MARA CAMP) have categorically stated that you were charged 45$ per person for the bush dinner and another 45$ per person for the sundowner.
I am sorry . We take your review seriously and will work on the issues raised for a prosperous future.
Apodiformes Adventures Team
DE
Email Rohit Singh | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Horrible experience with Apodiformes Adventures, can't recommend
We had a very bad experience with Apodiformes Adventures.
The communication and booking process prior to the tour was very smooth, up until it was time to pay the second part of the tour price in cash at pickup. After that, everything changed drastically. First of all, the game drive vehicle they provided was very different from what was promised. It was much much older and extremely uncomfortable. All other game drive jeeps we saw were much more modern & comfortable so we felt that the company tried to save money here, even though their tour is advertised as a luxury tour.
I asked Apodiformes Adventures about this but they ignored my messages!
Our safari guides (which were arranged by Apodiformes Adventures) told us that they only received our booking a day before our arrival, despite us booking several months before with Apodiformes Adventures, which is why they were not prepared for us. Also, our safari guides picked us up in Nairobi & had no idea how to get out of the city, which lead us to drive around for hours within Nairobi, before I had to give them my phone, as their Google Maps did not work properly. I contacted Apodiformes Adventures several times during this & they did not reply.
Also, we were sold a masai village tour through Apodiformes, which felt extremely unethical and like a scam to us. We paid 90 USD for being shown around a village for 10 minutes and later harrased to buy little magnets for 25 USD per piece. Once again, when we contacted our tour operator about this, they did not reply. It again seemed to us that everything goes very smooth up until you've paid the second part of the payment in person at the start of the tour.
The "luxury" lodge they booked for us had no idea we would be 3 people, since apparentely the tour operator failed to communicate this to them, which lead to another problem at room configuration at check-in, which took nearly one hour to resolve in order for us to get the extra bed in an already tiny room, since they had no other rooms available. I've taken 3 safaris in Africa, this one was by far the worst & I can only warn people against wasting your precious vacation with a tour operator that is quite seemingly not taking bookings seriously anymore.
Reply from Apodiformes Adventures
Posted on Sep 8, 2024Dear Rohit,
Many thanks for your detailed feedback. This helps us improve our services at Apodiformes Adventures.
I want to apologize for the challenges faced during your trip with us.
The only 2 clarifications I would want to make and which I believe will help our future customers are as follows;
1.Masai Village is 30$ per person and normally paid on site. This is an extra activity which is paid directly to the Masai Community who have set up a village to educate and inform tourists everything about their unique culture.
2. We always advise our clients to remain steadfast when visiting the Masai Village. Yes you will be met by many local Masai selling their merchandise but only buy when interested. Never be forced or coerced to buy their souvenirs unless you need it.
kind regards
SILAS
ES
Email AlanB | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good & Bad
I booked a safari with my wife with Apodiformes for our 50th anniversary. I arranged it with Frederick who worked with me to organise a 4 days Masai Mara trip at a cost of about $3600, Frederick was very efficient & booked everything & communicated with me very well. Our driver as arranged collected us from our hotel 7-30am prompt. On our drive to the Masai Mara it became obvious that the land cruiser was very underpowered when it came to large hills & had to climb I second gear. The driver/guide Tom was excellent throughout our trip. We stayed as recommended at Jambo Mara Safari camp & everything was very good however I would not liked to have stayed in the wood cabins in hotter weather as there was no air conditioning only a fan.
As the safari progressed into the second day it became apparent that the vehicle had a number of problems, some windows didn't open properly, the seats behind the driver were so well worn that passengers were constantly sliding forward & having to sit themselves up regularly, the suspension on the vehicle was very hard, some electrics were not working & some seat belts missing. Far from ideal when on a 8 to 10 hour safari.
On our last day the driver said that we would need to set off for Nairobi at 6-30 am so we could make it to Nairobi to catch our flight to Diani Beach. ( As arranged by Frederick). This meant that we did not have the morning safari as was on the itinerary that Frederick had promised & we had paid for. $400 dollars for park fees plus fees for safari. The day after we arrived at Diani I emailed Frederick with my complaints & he said that he would have to talk to the driver, I told him that I expected compensation for the missed safari & the fees for entry to the Masai Mari that we did not get. In total I had to contact him 4 times over a week to be finally told by Frederick that he couldn't refund me until November at the end of there season as they didn't have the money.
I would not recommend dealing with this company as they are not interested in the customer service in fact they are thieves. Don't deal with Frederick or Apodiformes (Nairobbery)
****
In answer to Silas comments regard my earlier review.
Please find time to look at the itinerary supplied by Apodiformes, it clearly says it includes a morning game drive on the last day, there is no mention of complimentary. I don't know any other tour operator that gives complimentary game drives when it costs $200 per person to enter the Masai Mara.
My flight to Diani Beach was at 14-45 & it was arranged by Fredrick as part of the package, not noon as you stayed.
I think you are a professional excuse maker, look at the facts.
Reply from Apodiformes Adventures
Posted on Sep 8, 2024Halo Alan,
Thanks for your detailed review. We dont take it for granted.
Most importantly receive my apologies for the challenges faced.
I am happy our driver Tom took care of you nicely until the end of the trip.
Regarding your concern: For the last day in Masai Mara , we normally have an optional early morning game drive. This is never paid for but a complimentary service to our customers especially to those that normally have late night outbound flights from Nairobi. We prefer to extend this complimentary game drive so that they dont arrive in Nairobi early and stay idle/bored at the airport.
In your case we had to take a pre-caution since your flight from Nairobi to Diani Beach was leaving at noon hence any time wasted would have resulted into you missing the domestic flight . This is why we advised your driver to leave Masai Mara early enough since the roads are normally unpredictable.
Thanks and Have a wonderful time at the Kenyan Beach. We look forward to meeting you in Nairobi before you fly back Home.
SILAS
US
Email Ian | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
I got scammed out of my deposit by this company.
DO NOT BOOK. "Silas" scammed me. I communicated via the email initiated on safaribookings.com . He told me his credit card machine was down and to wire the money (not uncommon for African safaris to wire money). I double checked other people were satisfied with his safaris, everything seemed extremely legit (they also wired money)
When I wired it he said he never received it then said I should have sent it via credit card on his website. When I showed him the email thread, he confirmed that was indeed his email, but said the invoice never came from him. Yet he denied his email has been hacked.
I'm not sure what's going on with this company and I'm hoping my bank can stop the wire. I'm happy to share the screenshots of my conversation back and forth so you can protect yourself.
When I asked what had happened he immediately shut me down and told me he doesn't want my business. It seems odd to me that a legitimate business isn't concerned that their email has been hacked.
I will update this review once I have reached conclusion on this event. But I wanted this warning published ASAP so other people don't get scammed.
Reply from Apodiformes Adventures
Posted on Apr 13, 2023I want to bring to your attention the issue of Mr. IAN SEWELL
Ian sent a direct enquiry regarding a tour he was interested in booking with us. We shared all the information until it reached a point he was to pay.
We receive all our payments through the website where payments are made through the link below:
https://apodiformesadventures.com/pay/
We shared this link with Ian but he purports to have received another email instructing him to pay through some funny bank account . The Bank whose account number he claims to have paid through is in Nigeria while we are based in Nairobi, Kenya.
I have asked Ian several times where he found the invoice but he cannot answer amicably. Ian claims our emails were hacked of which I have requested him to cooperate with our IT SPECIALISTS to find the source of the hack. This has been in vain since IAN doesnt want to cooperate . He nolonger responds to whatsapp messages and emails, a clear indication that he has not taken this issue seriously.
From our own preliminary investigations where we involved highly trained IT personell, It is clear our emails were never hacked.
We value our clients so much and for this reason we take issues raised by IAN seriously. We will continue digging deep into the issue and still urge IAN to cooperate with us in the investigations if it is true he was genuine in his allegations.
SILAS OWITI - DIRECTOR APODIFORMES ADVENTURES LTD
AE
Email Carlos | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Chased by Armed Park Rangers with kids inside the Jeep
Be very careful, Silas’ tour driver, lied to my an my family about the Jeep being broke down. He stole the money I payed to entered the Masai Mara Park & left us stranded at the hotel instead of taking us to the National Reserve. Silas made excuses not to refund the money stolen and never payed back. The day before, this driver Peter didn’t stop at a Ranger security checkpoint, and the rangers chased our Jeep with guns while I had 3 small kids & 1 baby inside the car. After raising a formal complaint to Silas about his driver, He never reimbursed the money stolen and the time we lost. Be very careful with this company, don’t be fooled. Awful experience in a Africa with kids, being robbed and chased with family when we just wanted to have fun at the Masai Mara Park. I will never come back to that place and never would consider using this thieves’ company.
Reply from Apodiformes Adventures
Posted on Feb 24, 2020Halo Carlos,
We are surprised that you have extended your threats to this end!
I want to state as follows;
1. You did not book this safari through safaribookings.
You were referred by a client who had booked a succesful safari with us through Tourist Link. His good experience with us made you book this safari!
2. We organized for you a 2 night safari to Mara Mara of which I personally picked you from the airport and handed you to our driver who was to be your tour guide.
3. You went for safari and came back a happy man with your family and Upon being dropped to the airport to take your flight home, you gave the tour guide some good tip , an indication that you were so much satisfied by our services. You did not express any dissatisfaction
4. Two days later I got a whatsapp message from you complaining that the same tour guide you tipped some good money did not deliver to you . You have come up with so much allegations that the driver did not take you to all the game drives as required .
For this reason, you have kept demanding and threatening the Company to refund you half of the money you paid ( that is half of 1500USD which 750USD).
When we saw this review on safribookings this morning , we realized that indeed you are not genuine and consider you as someone who is out to destroy and bring down our Company as you have severally indicated in your past whatsapp messages . You have repeatedly made it clear to us that you will bring down this Company by all means.
5. You have gone ahead to say in your allegations that you were chased around by game rangers at the park and that you missed game drives . Now brings me back to my question : Before departing to Masai Mara I briefed you about the tour and made it clear that your tour guide who was your driver had all the money for your park fees. I gave the guide all the money in broad day light with you sitted and watching.
Masai Mara Game Reserve has specific entries where all vehicles use. You cannot get into the park with tourists without paying. I find it hard to belive that you entered the park and the rangers kept chasing you around.
6. Finally despite having two nights in Masai Mara, you never bothered to call me informing me about the problems you were facing. Why did you tip the guide after all this bad experience? Why did you wait to reach home and start threatening me while you had my phone number and email during safari ? If indeed you were genuine you could have called or even informed the lodge to call me following all these problems you were experiencing . You have severally threatened and insisted that you will make sure our Company is bankrupt or closed! Is this the right way to solve issues?
We are a professional Tour Company in Kenya which operates on strict ethical guidlines .
kind regards
SG
Email Boon | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good at first but turning bad at the end
We have our tour at the end of July 2024. We have been in contact with Silas all this while for the arrangement. His response is very fast and even like midnight hour for him, he still can give you a response. At first before we settle and confirm the tour package, he always able to give fast response and show his enthusiasm. We have made good discussion, to settle down with our itinerary based on our flight schedule.
At one point in time, our flight got canceled, Silas also tried to accommodate our requirement, where he awaited us to give him confirmation of our next booking of flight. He also quickly responded and re-arranged our booked accommodation as well after our flight was confirmed. Although our request and questions were too lengthy and troublesome, he was still able to make time to explain. But somehow, when nearer to the date, his responses were getting shorter.
On the day Silas and the driver Ken were already there on time to pick us up from the airport. They also took us to get a sim card and buy packs of water for us on the trip. Ken was our driver and guide for all the game drive. We went to Nakuru then go to Maasai Mara, and last go to Naivasha. Overall, during the drive, from one place to another, and also during the game drive, Ken been on his phone always, only on and off will put it down. Even during the game drive, he was on the phone, and we thought that this might be his way to get information on the game drive. We didn't interfere much on this, as long as he driving safely.
Ken is a good driver, an experienced driver, but not a good guide. The problem is Ken shares only the bare minimum information with us. I am not requesting too much on this, but we felt that we were only briefed on the basic information. Most of the time we needed to prompt him with questions before we can get the answers, if we didn't ask or say anything, most likely we might not have given more information. There is a point where another vehicle broke down, and Ken offered to help fetch them together as we were staying at the same place. During this short trip, Ken was also on and off on his phone, where one of the passengers tried to do a video recording on the animals, he had to tell Ken to quiet down so that he could do his video recording on the animal. At which, we had been tolerating him on this, while we also did video recording, but we didn't so harsh on this point to make him stay silence at all.
When we visited the Maasai Mara village, we were asked to pay for the entrance fee, even though the itinerary plan stated it was included. 2 adults ws 60, and 2 kids were 30, so a total 90, where we only had USD100. At that point in time, we just paid first and without getting any change. It is later after communicating with Silas, and then he returned the 100 back to us. This shows the poor communication between him and the driver Ken.
On the journey, I had to find the topic for our communication with Ken, but every time it just went silence after a while. During the end of the trip, we were told that another freelance driver will pick us up, at which this driver Jidraf was able to talk more and introduced us to more information about Kenya this country, even sharing with us the lifestyle, the language, the towns, all those details that seem to be not important, he was able to share with us and tell us the background of that. This gave us a big comparison and noticed how little we got to know on our first 6 days of the trips. We were basically brought from lodge to lodge, and animals to the next animals only by Ken on our initial 6 days drive.
The problem with Ken also less communication with us, first incident is from Lake Nakuru to Maasai Mara. We were never told that we would be going to a souvenir shop and have lunch there. He just drove there and told us on the spot, he could have told us beforehand, we also understand that visiting a souvenir shop is part of a guided trip like this, but don't give us a surprise since it is all planned out.
2nd incident is about visit a Maasai Mara village, Ken could have briefed us on how it is going to be the routine on visit a village, or introduced some background, but nothing was said. Whether to put it before or after the Maasai Mara game drive, it was also not told until we asked.
3rd incident is when visiting the Hell's gate, where we needed to get a bicycle, we are family with young kids, and the young ones still don't know how to ride a bicycle. As an experienced guide, isn't it your responsibility to pre-alert us on what going to happen in Hell's Gate, and what is the plan for that. As a guide, you could have told us how much the price would be and told us to arrange for a bicycle with a children's seat, or a kid's bike with 4 wheels etc. But none was told, only until we reached the bicycle rental some distance before the entrance to Hell's gate, which is USD30 per bicycle. But what we have googled on the website the rental of bicycle only needs less than USD10. If we had not been careful and done our research before, we would have been scammed by the locals there. When we asked why the price hike, then we were told that it was peak season. But, when we reach the entrance of the Hell's gate, and we confront to Silas, only get to know, it is actually can get less than USD10, then we only offered to get the bike at this rate. At that point of time, we really don't know who to trust, neither Ken nor Silas. For those that are going to Hell's gate, please take note there is a guidance fee as well, if you don't pay for that, you don't have a guide inside, and you going to roam by yourself in which you might not know where to go, nobody gives you direction, and nobody brief to you the background of that.
4th incident was after Hell's gate, we were told Ken could no longer fetch us to airport on the next day, also our last day plan was to go to elephant orphanage and giraffe center. (Ken told us his car was faulty and needed immediate repair, but no one knew the truth). They arranged a freelance driver, who knew nothing about our next-day itinerary. The driver was only responsible for fetching us from Naivasha to the airport. Again, all of these was not well arranged and we were not told in advance. I thought the driver going to pick up the rest of the day up until drop us at airport, but after picked up then only knew he only responsible to bring us go to Nairobi and change another driver and vehicle. The elephant orphanage was supposed to be pre-booked one week in advance, and lucky enough my wife mentioned this, only they amended their mistake and booked it like 3 days before. Else I think it will be screwed up and end up we only left with giraffe center to go for.
5th incident is about the departure time from Naivasha to Elephant orphanage, we are foreigners and know nothing about operating hours. We thought visiting can be any time. But in fact, it is only 11am to 12pm. A day before, Ken suggested picking us up at 8am, but we told Ken to pick us up at 9.30am, since we did not have much plan for the rest on the last day. Ken did not tell us about the operating timing when I suggested 9.30am, but after that only he message and told me it will be close at 11am that's why needed to depart at 8am (also this information provided by him is wrong). Then he was like it's not his responsibility anymore, because he was not going to pick us tomorrow. Only then my wife double confirmed the time with Silas, only mentioned we must depart at 8am. Still the driver due to traffic came at 8.35am.
Luckily enough we managed to reach in time for the elephant orphanage. We do understand some hiccups on the itinerary happen, not everything goes to plan well, we only hoped it could be well communicated with us in advance about all the arrangements made. As a tour and guide expert, you should provide sufficient information about those entrance fees, travel duration needed, etc. I surely can google myself for all this information and do my own arrangements, but I trusted you to bring me the best experience. I do have a few persons who enquired me about this trip, but now I hesitate to give them your contact, as I don't know how trustworthy you are after this experience.
Still, I do recognize the effort from Silas, his fast response to requests, only it turned bad at the end of our trip. For Ken, he really a good driver, where he can drive out of the muddy place in a very bad situation, and he helped a few fellows to get out of those terrible situations where their vehicles were stuck. He is helpful whenever someone needs help.
US
Email bill k | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I Would Not Use This Company Again
I reached out to Apodiformes Adventures to book a private three day tour that included two nights in Amboseli National Park including 4 game drives over three days, transportation from Diani Beach to Mombasa train station, train tickets to Emali station (near Ambolseli), and finally transportation to Nairobi. Peter quickly responded and I started communicating with him to work out the details. After a few days of emails and what's app texts back and forth we agreed upon the details. One of the conditions was that we could pay with a credit card which we did for the initial deposit. Later however, he said he wanted to balance to be paid in cash in USD on arrival. I told him that wasn't possible because we were going to be in Africa for several weeks prior to this tour and didn't want to carry that much cash with us. Eventually he agreed to let us pay in credit card but insisted on an additional fee that wasn't previously agreed upon. This wasn't a deal breaker but in was the first in several instances where things weren't quite as initially stated.
Getting to the Mombasa train station and onto the train was an absolute fiasco. Our driver was supposed to pick us up at our hotel in Diani beach at 5am on Saturday in order to catch the 8am train. At 5am the driver was not there. This is where it gets tricky because at 5am (in the pitch black of night) there was a driver waiting at the hotel apparently arranged by the hotel. We got into his car and started driving. About :30min into the trip I asked him about the train tickets. He was confused because he thought he was taking us to the airport. At this point, I wasn't able to get a strong enough cell signal to call or text Peter, but the driver was able to finally get him on the phone. There was a lot of back and forth (and yelling) in Swahili over several calls that I didn't understand.
Once we did get to the train station, the plan was to wait for the other driver who we were told was an hour late getting to the hotel in Diani and he would come and give us the train tickets. This was not a good solution. First off security at the train station did not want us hanging around the parking lot. They said we had to either go thru the initial security check or leave. The train station was extremely chaotic. There were hundreds of people pushing and yelling and trying to get thru and we couldn't find any workers who spoke English to help us and I still wasn't able to use my phone. Peter and the other driver were trying to call me but none of the calls or texts were coming thru.
Eventually we did find a security guard who spoke enough English and was willing to help us. He took us thru security despite us not having tickets or a confirmation, and got Peter on the phone using his own phone. Peter then sent him copies of the ticket confirmation. He then whisked us into the lobby and told us to wait while he went and printed the tickets. Great! He came back gave us the tickets and pointed us to get in line. We waited in the line but when we got up front we were denied because Peter sent the guard the wrong ticket confirmation! The guard was gone and we were back to square one without tickets.
Keep in mind that the station is complete mayhem. At this point we tried to buy new tickets but the train was sold out. I was able to convince a ticket agent however to look up our names and reprint the tickets. This was much harder then it sounds but eventually they were able to do this but we had to pay an additional re-printing fee.
The original agreement included the transportation to the station and the train tickets, but we ended up having to pay the driver and the ticket re-print fee which was 30% of the price. When I asked Peter to reimburse us for these expenses he refused to do so basically blaming me saying it was my fault even though his drive wasn't on time.
We were met in Emali by David who would be our guide in Amboseli. David was wonderful. We thoroughly enjoyed ever minute with him especially the game drives.
We spent 2 nights at the Kibo Safari Camp and were supposed to do 4 game drives. One on the Saturday of arrival, two on Sunday, and one on Monday morning before heading to Nairobi by auto. However on Monday morning we were picked up in a vehicle (with a different driver) not suited for safari, so we headed to Nairobi without doing that fourth game drive. This wasn't a huge deal, but it was part of the agreement and payment. I never heard anything from Peter about this. In fact I never heard from Peter again after we arrived in Emali on the train. No follow up. I even waited three weeks to write this review to see if he or anyone from Apodiformes would contact me. Nothing.
This was not my first trip to Africa so I understand that stuff happens and things can go sideways. You have to be flexible. I get that, but the reason for this negative review is the lack of communication and follow up. The bottom line for me is that they over promised and under delivered which ended up costing us extra money out of pocket. I would not recommend Apodiformes Adventures.
NL
Email Herman | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good accommodation, unmotivated guide
We did Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli and Tsavo.
Contact with Silas was good before the trip. Accommodation was good and we had a wonderful Christmas at Lake Naivasha. I would give 4 stars for this, but we went to Kenya for the safaris.
On arrival in Masai Mara we would have a late afternoon safari. However, because of too many and ong stops, a lot of traffic and bad road conditions we arrived too late. We were disappointed we missed our first safari. Our guide/driver Isaiah promised we would get a long game drive the next day in Masai Mara till closing time 6.30pm. However, after a good day game driving we arrived at the gate at 5pm. I said Isaiah this is not what he promised us and then he got mad. He first did not want to go back into the park, but when I asked it again he turned around, clearly demotivated and driving very slowly. He also spoke ill over us against other drivers.
After this, all safaris were very disappointing. Isaiah did not even try to look for wildlife anymore. He kept on driving very slowly, did not communicate wit us at all and followed roads in the park were no other driver went.
In tsavo we really had it and I contacted Silas through Whatsapp. He said sorry to hear and he would talk to Isaiah soon. Our last day was a little better, although we did not see much game.
I did not get any response from Silas after this. We really feel it was a very poor trip thanks to isaiah. I did 22 trips in Africa before, but I never experienced such a terrible guide.
Our trip could have been much better