Daylight Adventures & Safaris Team.
Daylight Adventures & Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2017)
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $800 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
LT
Email Giedrius | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything was organized better than expected.
Daylight team was very friendly, organized everything (transfered from hotel in Watemu, booked local flight to Nairobi and back to hotel.) In Nairobi meet us with gifts :) Driver also was very friendly - did everything what he could for us to see all possible animals. Super service - recommend Daylight team to everyone who asks. Perfect safari.
Email Ruth | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Masai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, Hell's Gate. Thanks for the wonderful lifetime memories!
This is a long review, because I wanted to include all the sorts of things I wish I could have read in my research. My husband, our 9yo daughter, and I just came back from Kenya on what was probably our only opportunity to visit Africa. We had to attend a conference, so we decided to extend our time by a week and invest in a safari. Once I started researching the possibilities, I wished we could stay much longer and had no end of money as there is so much to see and do! Being realistic about our time and budget, though, I realised we needed to stay within the ‘standard’ safari itineraries, and choose a tour company that would work with us to plan a budget private family safari that fit our needs. I wanted us to see and experience as broad a range of ecosystems and landforms as we could fit in, to have an opportunity to see the iconic African big game animals, and also to visit the coast to see for ourselves some of Africa’s long history of trade and commerce. Plus, I have a special interest in birds, so wanted to see plenty of them as well. I narrowed it down to visiting the Masai Mara, three locations in the Rift Valley not too far from Nairobi: Nakuru (soda lake), Naivasha (freshwater lake), Hell’s Gate National Park (volcanic area and gorge near Naivasha), and to go by train to Mombasa on the coast, getting views of Tsavo NP on the way.
Once I had a fair idea of what I wanted, I requested quotes and received replies from 4 different operators. Misaro from Daylight Adventures & Safaris replied promptly and warmly with a detailed initial proposal that showed attention to all the information I had already given. She was patient while we considered our options, answered my questions quickly and thoughtfully (eg, was it realistic to think we could get from the SGR train to the airport in the timeframe we had to catch our flight – she assured us it was, and it turned out just as she said). She offered to book our SGR train tickets (must be paid via the local Mpesa system, so we couldn’t make that booking ourselves before we got there) and arrange a driver to transfer us to the airport, thus taking the stress out of that crucial final little piece. It was Misaro’s kindness, thoughtfulness, and attention to the details that mattered to us that swayed us to make our booking with Daylight. That showed when we met the team too – they gave us a new water bottle and safari hat each, and even a warm hoodie for our daughter! Good thing they have a nice logo…
We chose to go in a safari minivan with ‘pop-top’ roof. I think the Land Rover ‘troopy’ style vehicle would be a little more comfortable, having a bit more clearance on the rough and bumpy roads, but the van was significantly cheaper and Misaro explained that it uses less fuel. It did the job, but our driver James admitted he prefers driving the troopy. I also think that more than 5 passengers in any kind of safari vehicle would be pretty cramped; I’m glad we three had a whole van to ourselves. James was a very good driver both on the highways and the rough roads and tracks (impressed my husband).
We were very happy with the range of wildlife we saw on our safari: giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, rhinos, lions, elephant (including a baby that looked only a week or two old), hyena, jackals, ostrich, vultures, hippo, buffalo, impala, Thompson’s gazelle, crocodiles, mongoose, and my daughter’s favourite, rock hyrax. The list could go on. We didn’t get to see many predators feeding, but it was incredible to watch a lone lioness in the Mara starting out on a solo hunt targeting some warthogs. Sadly we couldn’t stay to see the final outcome, but witnessing her stealth as she disappeared into the long grass and then only showed two more glimpses over the next hour as she stalked up a small gully towards her prey gave an appreciation for her patience and focus that can’t be gained from watching even the best TV wildlife doco. Other highlights for us were the waterbirds at the two lakes, including the gorgeous flamingos and pelicans by the thousand at Lake Nakuru. The boat ride on Lake Naivasha was quite magical: many kingfishers, fish eagles, hamerkop, seeing (and hearing) adolescent hippos play-fighting not far from our boat. The guide we had for our walking safari that day was excellent, with heaps of fascinating information about every species we came across. For example, did you know that co-parenting is common among giraffes? Apparently females in a group co-operate to feed the babies. That way, if anything happens to a mother, her orphaned baby will be adopted and cared for by another female. Riding bikes and walking at Hell’s Gate was really lovely with the steep rocky cliffs and volcanic features – wish we’d had more time there. And just driving through Kenya and observing the towns, villages and people going about their daily lives was interesting in itself. The many herders watching over and protecting their sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys gave an insight into what life must have been like in Biblical times.
We thought the accommodations Daylight organised for us were really good given we opted for a budget rather than luxury package. Everything was clean, staff were friendly and helpful, meals were plentiful and good, there was hot water for showers. Toilets often didn’t flush particularly well, though. We were only offered 500ml bottled water for drinking, so we ended up with a lot of waste plastic. It would have been nice to have a 20L bottle in the van so we could make good use of our new stainless steel water bottles by refilling them. BTW, if you can’t live without good coffee, consider taking your own supply and maybe an air press or something. Hot water (and hot milk) for drinks is always available at the lodgings. And with early starts and lunch often quite late due to long road transfers or game drives, it would be worth taking a stash of your own snacks if you can’t make it past 11 o’clock without something to munch on.
Near the Masai Mara we stayed at a tourist camp where it was fun to sleep in a canvas tent for two nights. On the first afternoon we visited the nearby Maasai village and local school. That was interesting and informative, but felt a bit intrusive and ‘touristy’ for our liking. One felt obliged to purchase some souvenirs and make a donation to the school. But it was the only way to see anything outside the fence of our accommodation – for safety reasons we were strongly discouraged from wandering anywhere on our own. Another slight negative vibe was the souvenir sellers at the entrance gate to the Masai Mara reserve – they were persistent to the point of being quite uncomfortable and annoying. It is worth knowing that a tip to the various site-specific guides is expected, and being prepared for that. Examples include the armed guides at the Mara bridge/hippo pools, the Maasai guide for the village tour, and the walking safari guides at Naivasha and Hell’s Gate.
Overall we were very satisfied with the experience and service provided by Daylight Adventures & Safaris. They were very friendly and easy to work with, and worked hard to accommodate our wishes within a reasonable budget. Many of the expenses are fairly fixed – park fees, fuel, etc – so the price variation comes mainly from the choice of vehicle and the standard of accommodation. As long as you don’t expect absolute top-of-the-range everything for bottom-of-the-barrel prices, you should have a great experience planning and going on safari with them. We did. Thanks, Daylight team!
Email Dee | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
So kind
I highly recommend this tour. This entire experience was the memory of a lifetime. It was amazing
and comfortable. Can’t wait to come back and enjoy the experience with my family
HK
Email Ruby | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Our operator is fully of passion and our tour plan is very good
I am very satisfied with this tour because everything is match my imagination.
HK
Email Eric | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A tour that was exciting, will be chosen again in the future, and will be recommended to anyone who
A great trip, From the preliminary online communication, I already felt the difference, and I chose this place from various comparisons, and it proved to be a great choice, very reliable! And from the first moment we arrived in Kenya, we felt the warmth of the reception and the impeccable care of all the staff, so that we did not have to worry about any unforeseen situations that might occur. In addition, all expectations were met and we thoroughly enjoyed our 6 days with daylight!
AE
Email Ghayda Al-Badawy | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Professional and Organized
I booked a 7 days trip to Kenya and It was my dream trip , I decided to go with Daylight Adventures & Safaris and they just made my dream and trip epic ! very professional
, organized , updated , fast , and nice . They took care of me from the pick up moment till the drop off , I just told them what I want and wish to see and visit and they arranged everything even though I changed my plan MANY times Misaro just did it so patiently and with love . I also wanna thank Mr. Dan the best Guide ever , because of him I was able to see , get close ,and capture the best shots , and it wans't just by luck , it was Mr. Dan's sense and experience . It was the best decision and am glad I booked with them and will definitely do it again .
BE
Email Jasper Verlinden | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Daylight Safari ensures that you can enjoy all that Kenya has to offer in comfort
Together with three friends, we travelled through Kenya under the guidance of Daylight Safari and I couldn't think of any better way to travel around the beautiful country!
Elvis and his team made sure we enjoyed the amazing safaris in Masai Mara, Amboseli, Naivasha,... Our driver and guide Mr Walker was incredibly caring and incidentally was able to teach us a lot about nature.
BE
Email Glen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing and very friendly guys.
Daylight Safaris are some really friendly guys who helped us a lot to make a fantastic trip to Kenya.
If we needed anything, the service was great.
Also the tours we did were amazing and the guide we had was like our friend at the end of the trip!
So I would highly recommend Daylight Safaris.
BE
Email Linde Peeters | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best local tour guide!
We visited Kenia during 2017-2018's christmas holiday. My sister was living in Nairobi for half a year and she recomended Daylight Adventures as Elvis was a good friend of hers.
We travelled with a big group of 12 people, all family. It was not an easy task to please everybody as we all had different opinions and interests. Elvis listened to all of us and tried his very best. The trip was so amazing thanks to him and the drivers. We became real friends during this two weeks and we still keep in touch.
About the tour: it was a mix between safari, nature (hikes and waterfalls), culture and beach. We almost saw the big five exept for the rhino. I wish I could share some pictures because we saw the most amazing things like a cheetah chasing (and catching) a wildebeast. We saw little lions, a leopard in a tree with a warthog, we saw different groups of hippos,...
Our most beautiful stay was in Tsavo National park in a lodge with a view over the savanna. In the morning we could watch the elephants have a drink in the pool only 3 meters away from us.
I love Kenia and I loved the whole journey with Daylight Adventures. Elvis you're the best!
JP
Email Ryoya | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
We experienced amazing time in safari.
Everything is great, for example, food camp,animals and so on.