Luxury African Safari tours in East Africa
Natural World Kenya Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 50-100 employees (Founded in 2002)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, ASTA, KATO, MCTA & Ecotourism Kenya
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $310 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Casey | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Horrible Business Practices
The Safari was great and the guide was amazing! I received a charge 2 months after the Safari was over and it was not recognized as Natural World. After not responding to the dispute, Robert with Natural World Safari has now reported me to the authorities in Kenya as a criminal for not paying!! Even though they were the one's which didn't respond to the multiple requests from AMEX for 8 weeks!!! I have now reversed my dispute and allowed the payment, but I am still a criminal there!!
I would NOT recommend Natural World Kenya Safaris due to their business practices, not their guides!
DK
Email Mette Erichsen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrible guide and vehicle!
At first it was quit rapid, swift reply and ordering the tour was easy.
It did a no time leave up to our expectations.
Not because there wasn't any wildlife, but becuase our driver who was NOT near being a guid was just unprofessional, and had not knowledge
of wildlife and the undead. His only method of finding something was to feel after all the others or via the radio to inquire about where something was. Even though we were interested in birds and told him that, he always drove past and it was more about rushing back and forth than seeing anything.
He shortened our trip in Tsavo West because he thought it was too hot. This despite the fact that at the time of day the lions can be seen.
Our trip got worse entering Tsvao in a car which should have been slanted. The dust came in all the way from and it was not possible to sit in the car and breathe.
We were actually happy when we got off at Voi train station and had to take the train to Mombasa, where we will be met by a driver from the company and driven to our next destination Chale Island.
However, it did not get any better unfortunately. We were met by an driver who was also a guide. When he found out we were going to Chale Island it was like a problem, he calles several time naming Chale Island and were upset. We would like to skip lunch and thus arrive earlier. We made this clear to him. But he thought the trip was too long train we needed lunch. Despite the fact that we insisted on skipping lunch several times, he did not. After a one hour drive we ended up at a restaurant. From the time we ordered to the food arrived, an hour and a half went by where we just waited as we arrived late for the buffet. He calls He is very rude and repeatedly scolds the staff in front of us. We feel we are at fault and are guilty of it all. He eats cake while talking while we wait for almost 2 hours for some pom fries and some chicken!
We stopped by a supermarket to buy some water and suddenly he came in to the supermarket too. He wanted a Cola he said, and by the counter he just put it into our basket. I thought he would pick it up, when we had to pay for our stuff. But NO he did not. We ende paying for it, and that made me angry. I did not say anything, and a fex dollars are no problem for me, men it's the principles of doing it in that manner! When we finally reached to place form where we has to take the boat to Chale Island, we both agreed that he should not have any tip at all, both for delaying us for several hours and for the Cola trick.
Then he just out of te blue says " come on, something for the driver"? I find this manner so rood and unprofessional.
All in all a terrible safari with the Natural world and a terrible trip that we didn't enjoyed at any time. Miserable guide, miserable car, then it can not be good. Waste of money and precious time.
We where on a budget safari in Uganda for 10 day before this, and has a great guid and a proper car for less amount of money pr day.
Would never recommend it at alle.
Reply from Natural World Kenya Safaris
Posted on Sep 30, 2019Jambo Mette from Denmark,
Thank you for joining Natural World Kenya Safaris on the 4 days (3 nights) safari visiting Amboseli National Park, Taita Hills game sanctuary & the Tsavo East National Park.
Thank you too for taking your time to review us and to express your dissatisfaction with the provided services.
We too are disappointed that your expectations were not met during the entire safari period as you have put it.
Our greatest regret is that for the 4 days you did not contact the company to raise any issues regarding the safari driver/guide or the safari vehicle itself, even with telephone and internet access throughout. We could have corrected/rectified the issue immediately if you had communicated the same to us.
During the safari booking process and even on our safari booking conditions, we have always indicated that you should contact the office immediately if anything is not right or there is a problem. This is so that we can correct the situation immediately, unfortunately you never contacted us in this regard.
It is very disturbing that you could spend 3 nights/4 days with a driver guide and safari vehicle that you do not like and not see the need to report the same for immediate action.
We would have been very glad if you had raised the concerns with a sequence in this review:
Like for instance, it would have been helpful if you explained the issues on Day 1 at Amboseli, issues on Day 2 at Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and issues on Day 3 at Tsavo East National Park.
You would have further explained if the driver/guide was rushing during the morning game viewing drive, the mid-morning one or the afternoon game viewing drive sessions.
This way, other prospective visitors would understand how safari is done and also the expectations.
Driving speed is limited to 30km per hour in the national parks and speeding may not be realistic due to the nature of tracks and the terrain.
The summary on game viewing drives in the national parks does not show the sequence and neither does it indicate the accommodation, meals etc. It does not also say whether there was a mechanical problem with safari vehicle or otherwise.
An objective review could certainly have focused on the entirety and fundamental aspects of the safari tour. On the second paragraph, you could have focused only negatively on your transfer driver who might have been too eager to have you take lunch after a long day.
Nowhere has the actual drive between Mombasa railway station to Chale Island been mentioned.
There is a negativity in the description of driver guide as obscure at time of first meeting, which may be a reflection of an unfriendly attitude.
Safari is interactive, and drivers/guides being human react or perform to their utmost best in a friendly atmosphere.
We sincerely regret that your expectations were not adequately met, and shall continue to do our best to keep on making memorable East Africa safari tours to visitors.
Worst work ethic
My review might be the odd one among all the positive reviews. But I need to share my experience so others can avoid a similar experience with this tour operator. I booked a safari tour with Natural World Safari for Sept 2014 , paid all the advance, but had to cancel the tour in Aug 2014 for personal reasons. The experience and communications were fine until my cancellation but after that everything changed and was a nightmare. As per their terms and conditions, I was eligible for 80% refund. But every time I contacted them I was only getting false assurances that the refund shall be done shortly. This continued for the next 1 year 8months. After reporting this to KATO and other efforts from my side, I was finally able to get my refund in April 2016. I believe a good business should abide by their terms and conditions and also show professional ethics. Unfortunately this is not the case with this business once you cancel their service. I hope everyone booking safari with this tour operator understand these risks if you ever have to cancel.
Email Brittany | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A HUGE disappointment. Don't waste your money on this tour!
While looking in to this tour I was excited about the advertised "We shall be on the lookout for the endangered Sable Antelope, Elephants, Giraffe, maybe Leopard, civet cat, monkeys, shrews."Unfortunately this was far from reality of the situation. After further talk with locals we realized that there have not really been animals in the park for over 5 years or more. I felt like I was taken advantage of with this "tour" for $300 USD for two people.
The planned itinerary: "At the Shimba Hills National Reserve proceed for a morning game viewing drive. We shall be on the lookout for the endangered Sable Antelope, Elephants, Giraffe, maybe Leopard, civet cat, monkeys, shrews. For the bird watchers, more that 100 bird species have been recorded including Ostrich, Eagle, African Hawk and Honey Guide. We shall further explore the Shimba hills on foot where accompanied by our guide, we shall walk on the Shedrick Falls on a 1/2 hour hike as we marvel at the water cascade. We shall later stop for lunch at the Shimba lodge where we may have an option to take a nature walk around the tree lodge or simply enjoy the surrounding views from the balconies of the lodge."
What actually happened:
We were picked up on time by our kind guide Ali. He was very nice and did a wonderful job all day. He was basically the highlight of this poor tour. The morning game drive was very telling of the lack of animals present in Shimba Hills. Once entering the park we drove for about an hour to the walking destination and literally saw only warthogs. No monkeys, antelope, or even birds really. Our driver pulled over because he thought he saw a chameleon, thats how desperate he was to find animals for us to see. This was the first sign that the day was not going to go as planned.
Once we arrived to the walking destination, we were talked to by the Park Rangers and informed that this was was very strenuous walk and be prepared to be walking for about 2 hours (not 1/2 hour as advertised). The walk was beautiful and scenic of trees and water, but of no animals. Also, as a tour company, you should be more upfront with your customers of the type of walk that is going to happen. There were so many stairs and even walking on small slippery stones up a hill at one point. While this was fine for my husband and I, we had no idea that this was the type of activity that we should have expected, not to mention the vast difference in walking time.
Then on to the lunch destination. Another huge red flag in the state of Shimba Hills. Once arriving to Shimba Lodge we were met with no electricity in the ENTIRE lodge. While this was not a huge deal, when it came time to pay it was. My husband had to walk out of the lodge and hope to get service to pay the pill. The only person working at the Lodge was our waiter and he had informed us that there were no other guests at the Lodge at all. There were no other people in the restaurant either. It was literally silent. It was honestly creepy, and not the place I'd like to have lunch on a tour. The food was deceit, but not great.
We decided to cut our "tour" short after lunch. It made more sense to us to go enjoy the beach that drive around in an EMPTY park for another few hours. I was honestly so incredibly disappointed in this "safari." I feel as though I was scammed. We were promised a lot in the description of the tour and the experience fell very short. There were no animals. Literally we saw more monkeys and birds outside the park than in. I feel you as a company should EXTREMELY revise the description of this tour as well as the price. I was lead to believe by your website and Lilian that this tour would be something very different that what it actually is.
As someone that has been to many safaris/tours in Kenya, this was by far the WORSE experience. Sadly because of this experience I will not be using this tour company again as well as warning my friends. What a waste of $300 USD as well as a full day of my vacation.
Reply from Natural World Kenya Safaris
Posted on Jul 23, 2019Dear Britanny
Thank you for joining us on the Shimba hills national park day tour.
We sincerely regret that the activities on the Shimba hills day tour did not meet your expectations
The Shimba hills national park is gazetted by the government of Kenya as a National park
It is managed by the Kenya wildlife service which is a quasi government and also a conservation body.
It is further described in Wikipedia and all other main tourism forums in Kenya and abroad.
It is thus not justifiable to indicate that our Shimba hills national park description is misleading.
A few hours visit in a national park cannot justify a holistic condemnation of the same ,even in the more popular national parks ,a bad spotting day do occasionally happen because both the wildlife and national parks are natural and wild..
Your driver guide did try to the best of his ability to make wildlife spotting happen ,but sadly sightings cannot be guaranteed on any safari tour
Walking time at the Sheldrick falls is approximate and cannot be exactly precise . The nature walk at the Sheldricks falls is provided by the Kenya wildlife services rangers and participants' ages and capacity are taken into consideration.
The Shimba hills lodge is the only lodge at the Shimba hills national park , it is meant to be a silent place because it blends with nature ,we regret that you did not like the quiet atmosphere .
The price captures the Park entrance fees for guests , the safari tour vehicle and driver / guide entry fees .It also includes fuel ,taxes and operational costs .It is also well advertised to enable people make informed decisions .
It is important for visitors to read broadly on intended places of visit to capture a wider perspective and thus enable themselves make informed decisions on tours to undertake .This manages expectations
The feeling of inadequacy may have been due to your comparing Shimba hills national park with the other several national parks you have visited in Kenya safaris before .
We regret that the tour did not appeal to you as well as we had intended..
We shall however endeavour to always make wonderful safari tours for all
Email Sammy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Efficient and professional
Second time I use this travel agent. They are professional and efficient. I made a bad mistake shoosing the lodge in Tsavo which wasn't up to my expectation. Good guide-driver and efficient commercial contact for the last minute organisation of this weekend break.
IT
Email Guido | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Exhiting
I recomend to improve the information on the elements for choise the best tour.
The dexcription of the park, rate the lodge not only by quality but also for their position (to avoid long transfer to park entrance) and finally to the vehicle.
US
Email Andrew | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lots of great animals to see
It was a good trip, but we did lots of driving. We probably could have skipped the last park in lieu of some extra time to enjoy some of the earlier ones.
Email Chiara Masi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Confortable, funny and relaxed!
The communication was very good, they are always available and they answer to your questions very quickly! The service, the driver makes you fell like a very guest, they know to take care about the customer! One thing that for me was a little bit bad was that sometimes is a must that you have to give the tip or they ask you a tip, yes in a good way, but for me a tip is something more that if you want you can give! It's not a must!
Reply from Natural World Kenya Safaris
Posted on Nov 6, 2019Jambo Chiara Masi from Kenya,
Natural World Kenya Safaris invests in getting the best drivers/guides in the tourism industry. This does not mean that you cannot have that special preference of an individual driver guide. If you do decide to choose your driver/guide at safari booking, we shall allocate him to your safari if available for the dates. If not, you can always make another choice or simply let us do it for you.
Our main goal is your satisfaction: providing you with the experience of a lifetime.
Individual waiters, porters, the driver/guide and other service providers may provide exemplary service and it is your discretion to decide to tip. The amount is dependent on your evaluation of the quality of the service rendered.
We apologise that you did not find the process friendly.
Thank you for your feedback.
CA
Email Clint & Laura | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great guide, great accommodations ... some long drives.
I highly recommend this company. We chose the 11 day package that started in Ol Pejeta and ended in the Maasi Mara. The accommodations were always better than we hoped and the guide, and his knowledge, we're exceptional. We chose the "comfort" level, wishing to stay in the various tented camps along the way. (In my opinion, the best way to enjoy a safari). The only downside was a couple of days of long drives, always a bit longer than stated. However, the game we saw more than made up for a couple of long driving days. The guide, accommodations, travel vehicle and game viewing all exceeded our expectations.
CA
Email France Turmel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Spectacular and fabulous experience, espacially thé Tanzanie part with our guide Peter Damasi Mimja
I appreciate all the experience, the guides (Peter on Tanzania part especially), the animals, lodges and services, transport, the amazing nature and the beautifull landscape.
The lunch were so so... chicken all days, in the sun in the jeep during 4-5 hours ! The Explorer Nature Mara Lodge was the worst lodge (no hot shower, broken bed, not enough food...). I appreciate to be upgrade twice, it was nice places (with pool and really good food), thank !
Reply from Natural World Kenya Safaris
Posted on Sep 18, 2019Jambo France from Canada,
Thank you for choosing one of our many exciting safari adventures combining the best of Kenya and Tanzania. The tour, as you say, was a spectacular & fabulous experience with your tour guides & drivers, including Peter from Tanzania.
We apologise on behalf of Explore Nature Mara Lodge for the challenges you experienced. We are checking with them to ensure this does not happen to any other guest.
Karibu Tena Kenya!