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Silver Spark Africa Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2018)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
-
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- Price Range:
- $400 to $2,000 ppper person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
Email Tina and Marcelo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome humans! Great 9 day multi-country safari
2 people (couple) from California, USA did a 9 day safari Kenya & Tanzania. Abongo was the very best helping us plan and manage every step of the way! We booked nearly a year ahead for mid-August travel. Was scary sending $ to a stranger overseas but felt confident & he answered all questions timely and crafted our dream safari! Super communicative throughout. Abongo & our guides spoke excellent English and understood us well. Everyone we met from Silver Spark spoke like 3-4 languages! Glad we got to meet Abongo in Nairobi & again at the border crossing. Very friendly & knowledgeable guy. He really helped make our border crossing quick & easy. Our safari was amazing! John (Jenga) our driver in Kenya was awesome. Toyota van was perfect & comfy. John was knowledgeable, patient, kind, helpful, patient, and funny. Very happy guy. Vehicle breakdowns on East Africa roads are common so John asked us if it was ok to rescue people a few times. You may have a private safari but expect the possibly helping others transport people or gear. The guides look out for each other cuz you never know when you’ll need help. The roads destroy ALL vehicles. In Kenya, we had a vehicle issue but luckily got fixed quickly & stayed on schedule. The roads out to and in the national parks are bad! But our driver made us feel confident. Then, Babu, our driver in Tanzania was the best!! Land cruisers only in Tanzania. It was cool to experience both types of vehicles. We were sad to leave Jenga but Babu was amazing as well! Felt sad to leave our friends at the end.
If you come up with a dream itinerary, ask Abongo for an ETA between places because the journey btwn parks is long and roads are sketchy & rough. Wish I had known to ask this info. I assumed roads would be bad but way underestimated. The time btwn parks is good for editing photos and napping, however :) It would be good to advise guests of approximate travel times. We chose mid-range accommodations with a mix of camp and lodges. All the places we stayed at were pleasant, some were excellent! We learned that Abongo w/Silver Spark does all the comms and planning in Kenya and they partner with Nyangulo Safaris in Tanzania where Soombe does all the planning. We met Soombe upon arrival & departure. Together, Abongo and Soombe make a great team and worked things out for us to have an amazing 9 days!! Thank you both. Things to know for ANY safari if this is your first: there is no “luxury” driving safari bc these roads are rough & destroy ALL cars ALL safari companies. We had car issues in both countries and saw countless cars broke down on the side of the road. You’ll need to be patient at park entries & in case of vehicle issues. Now we understand why safaris aren’t cheap. Vehicle maintenance in East Africa is a beast! The roads are dusty & bumpy! Don’t expect cold beverages on 9-12 hour road trips but you’ll get used to warm drinking water & Coca Cola. Also, if you end your trip with Zanzibar, be sure to arrive at the airport 2 hours before. We almost missed our flight, but again, Soombe helped with negotiating & begging on our behalf. Tip your guides well; they work HARD and make the journey great. We tipped more than the minimum and were generous to wait staff at lodges too. Silver Spark & Nyangulo are the best!!! We cannot say enough good things about these guys. Thank you, team!!! Asanti sana 🫶🏽 five stars? Hakuna Matata
Email Oliver Pereira | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The ultimate choice for a dependable, entertaining & well-organised safari tour operation
One of the biggest challenges when planning a safari trip to Nairobi is finding a trustworthy, economical, and experienced safari operator. I contacted and communicated with several operators, but it was just one call with Abongo—the main person at Silver Sparks—that made my decision easy. His patience, attention to detail, and calm demeanor assured me that he would meet my expectations for the safari.
Day 1 & 2: My safari with Silver Sparks was exceptional from start to finish. Abongo’s meticulous planning ensured that every detail was perfectly executed. The adventure began with a visit to the giraffe center, followed by a bike ride at Karura Forest (Tip: Make sure to get some cardio in if you plan on doing the bike ride), and concluded with an insightful tour of Nairobi city, including Kenyatta Market where you’re spoiled for choice with souvenirs. What made the first two days even more memorable was the company of Abongo, Kevin, and Eric. They joined me on the bike ride and were very helpful with haggling for souvenirs.
From Day 3 and 4, I met Peter, my tour guide for the rest of the trip. As they say, first impressions are lasting, and meeting Peter was no exception; his smile could light up a room. We headed to Masai Mara, a five-and-a-half-hour drive from Nairobi that turned into a seven-hour drive due to unexpected traffic (Tip: Leave as early as possible if driving from Nairobi to Masai). I stayed at Jambo Safari Lodge, which, though considered mid-range, could easily compete with luxury resorts. The game drives at Masai Mara were memorable, and Peter’s insightful information about the animals made the experience even better.
On Day 5, we drove from Masai Mara to Lake Nakuru, a five-hour drive with a two-hour stopover at Lake Naivasha for a boat ride. You can take the regular boat ride for USD 35, but Peter suggested using the boat ride offered by Lake Naivasha Resort, which costs $50 and was worth every penny. You get to see various types of birds and a few hippos. I stayed for a night at Lake Nakuru Lodge, which exceeded my expectations. My room had a balcony with breathtaking views of Lake Nakuru National Park.
On Day 6, the final leg of the trip, we left early from Nakuru toward Amboseli Park, driving past the majestic snow-capped Mount Kilimanjaro. At Amboseli, I stayed at the tented resort managed by AA Amboseli Lodge, a unique experience where you sleep in the heart of the park amidst the clean Amboseli breeze. The game drive featured incredible views of elephants strolling through marshy land with Mount Kilimanjaro in the background. Be sure to have your camera ready for some portrait-worthy pictures.
Finally, the seamless transition on Day 7 back to Nairobi Airport capped off an unforgettable adventure. Silver Sparks exceeded all expectations with their outstanding service and attention to detail. Abongo’s youthful yet mature nature has contributed to the success of Silver Sparks, and having a team like Kevin, Eric, and Peter adds to the quality they provide.
My only regret on this trip was not catching a glimpse of a leopard, but that just means I have a reason to return to Nairobi and experience another incredible safari with Silver Sparks.
Until we meet again, Abongo and Silver Sparks, Asante!
Email Stefano and Chiara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience
My girlfriend and I did a 7 days Safari around Kenya (Masai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, Amboseli). Abongo was very helpful and correct during the booking pre safari. Always here for us during the organization and also during our trip. I agreed some changes on the program based on our interests and everything went good. The lodges were to our expectations. Our guide Peter was the best person we could find. He was always with us and take care of us like sons (we're 26yo). He wasn't only a good and safe driver but also a kind and prepared guide about Kenya and its parks and animals. He is an awesome Person and we will take him in our Heart. We succeeded in see 4 out 5 of the big five and had beautiful Game Drives.
The price for what we've done was honest and Fair.
Thanks a lot to Abongo and Peter for this fantastic experience.
Stefano and Chiara from Italy
Email Melanie und Markus | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable experience with a good tour operator and guide!
We booked an 8-day-private Safari (Aberdere - Nakuru - Massai Mara - Naivasha - Amboseli). It was our first trip to Afrika/Kenia and our first safari. We were really excited. Our tour operator answered all our requests promtly and was very friendly.
We asked for a german speaking guide, because our english isn't the best. And our Guide Titus spoke german very well. He took good care of us the whole trip. Everything was very well organized.
We saw the big 5 - 4 of them on our first game drive in Nakuru :-) - and the huge herds of wildebeest an zebras in the massai mara, even though we missed crossing the river - and the huge herds of elephants in Amboseli. It was incredible. All the parks were impressive in ther own way. We would skip the stop in Naivasha next time, even though the lodge was really great. It was really exciting to see the variety of landscape and it's people as we drove from one park to the other. the lodges our tour operator choosed, were good, we just can't recommend the AA lodge in Massai Mara.
We had a small problem with the car twice but they were solved immidiatly. Titus drove carefully, but sometimes it was still exciting for us, especially during the game drives on the washed out paths through ditches. But it was exciting to see and get to know everything.
We can recommend the silver spark team and Titus and a safari in Kenia.
Average User Rating
Rating Breakdown
- 5 star 54
- 4 star 3
- 3 star 0
- 2 star 0
- 1 star 0
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- All corporate and/or tour info is provided by Silver Spark Africa Safaris, not SafariBookings
- The tours offered by Silver Spark Africa Safaris are subject to their terms & conditions