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.