MAASAI MARA
Balu Travel
- Office In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2022)
- Tour Types:
- Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $50 to $200 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
DE
Email Miri and Jessy | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing
We asked three companies for an offer - and Morris replied immediately. The communication was always professional, quick answers and he explained everything to us. Morris even helped us out on questions not concerning the safari tour itself (like hotels in Mombasa and ETA questions).
We felt safe and well from the first communication on, so we decided to go with Balu.
The price for our 5 Days, mid-range, private tour was more than fair.
The hotels Morris recommended were really nice and we felt safe and home everywhere we went.
Our guide was Peter. Honestly I can’t tell in words how much we miss Peter already! It was so much fun exploring Kenya with him. We learned so so much and laughed so hard. One of the best times in our life - and that is really thanks to Peter.
We were so lucky to have him as our tour guide! I recommend him highly.
We went to Lake Navisha, then to Lake Nakuru. Peter knew everything, recommended a really cool boat trip to us and made the best time out of the first two days even though we were a bit tired and overwhelmed from the long journey on the plane. On the second day we drove to our final Safari destination. The Maasai Mara is a stunning peace of earth.
We spent two full days in the Maasai Mara and we had so much fun!
Even though we had a bit of a struggle with flooded streets after heavy rain, there was not one second we felt unsafe. Peter is honestly the best driver in the world and knows exactly which road/ way he can take and when to turn around. Also he is a walking lexicon - he can answer every question regarding the animals, the landscape, the culture.
On the first day we saw 4/5, just the leopard was missing. And it’s not so easy to find them. So Peters mission on Day 2 was “finding the leopard” - and if that guy is on a mission, you can be pretty sure that he will accomplish it!
And what should I say… of course we found a leopard.
Besides these amazing days in the car, spotting animals, we had so much fun and karaoke in the car with Peter.
Also the long drive back to Nairobi was just like a road trip of really good friends enjoying every moment together.
So… thank you Morris for organizing the whole tour and making things so easy for us. And thank you for choosing Peter as our guide. We found a friend!
And Peter - thank you for being you. You know how much we appreciate you and how happy we are that we met you!
Best days ever. Even the singing hahaha
Email Han | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good.
The trip was good. I and my friend saw many animals with help of the guide. I think the cost of the service provided was reasonable.
Email J. Dilshan | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Value for money- over delivered
It was an amazing experience with all expectations exceeded.
Saw all of the Big - 5
Accommodation was very good
Morris delivered on his promises as well as the exceptional Driver Guide - Jeremy
IN
Email Ashwin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing Service & Hospitality... Worth It...!!!
Morris was extremely patient & courteous to assist with all information & questions related to our choices regarding Game Drive options.
Jeremy & Peter (our guides) at Masai Mara & Amboseli were extremely knowledgeable, polite & made our trip experience extremely engaging.
Email AJ & Mei | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5* agent, one of the most professional and best tours we’ve been on
Wow, what can we say! We trawled the internet for tour operators and landed on Balu, our agent was Morris. From beginning to end, Morris was FANTASTIC. We admittedly were not the easiest of clients, we had trust issues parting with so much money for a Maasai Mara Safari package and a lot of questions with it being our first time in Kenya but Morris dealt with us with professionalism, reassurance and knowledge - just brilliant. He organised extra things we required such as transfers from remote locations and had brilliant communication throughout, consistent and thorough.
The tour exceeded all our expectations!! It was AMAZING!! Absolutely worth it and presented as such value for money from all the research we did. Our driver was Solomon who had the BEST knowledge of the Maasai and incredible driving skills. We are so happy we booked with Balu and had Morris as our rep. We’ve already recommended him to all family and friends thinking of coming to Kenya for Safari. Thank you to Morris and Balu for the most unforgettable trip.
CN
Email jing | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
good
It was a good trip. The accommodation was good, the food was good, and the driver was experienced enough to see all the animals I wanted to see.
IN
Email Ramya | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent - everything delivered as promised
I and my parents booked with them safari to Masai Mara and lake Nakuru.
Morris was very responsive since the booking date. He provided a detailed itinerary and the trip went exactly so.
Our guide Saruni was very helpful too and he was always on time.
Excellent thank you!
FR
Email Luana | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience !
Balu travel was quick to send me a quote and to organise my safari. I was so pleased with my experience : the guide was perfect and very motivated, the lodge Emayian was beautiful, the food was amazing. Everything went perfectly and I couldn't recommend this more !
TT
Email Karen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The BEST Tour Guide Ever!!!
We visited Kenya for my birthday in December 2023, Balu was our Tour Operator of choice and boy did we make the best decision.
Our guide Macharia was patient and took every opportunity to provide info on the wildlife but more importantly Kenya.
Not only is he knowledgeable but also funny, we couldn't have asked for a better guide.
Email G.W. | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Business Owner genuinely cares about your experiences.
All in all the tour was wonderful, thank you. With Balu's help I achieved my dream of seeing animals in front of kilimanjaro, and I had an awesome time. I got beautiful clear views, saw many animals, had great fun, and it was exciting and beautiful.
I really appreciated how often the business owner/manager Morris checked in to check if things were going well, it made me feel like he genuinely cared about making it a great experience. And Morris the driver took genuine pleasure in finding animals, views, and experiences to enhance my experience. I realise from reading other reviews and talking to people who had other companies that the personal efforts of the two Morrises is not necessarily the norm, so I am grateful and I warmly recommend balu
Tip: Keep in mind that subcontractor drivers are the norm for Kenyan Safaris, so whichever tour company you go with, your driver/guide will likely be an independent contractor drawn from the same common pool of drivers as if you had gone with another company. So the key is maintaining contact with the actual business owner. If there is anything that you feel is not quite right, have respectful conversations with your driver asking them what you would like, and if this doesn't work then just respectfully let the owner know what you want/need.
The good ones, like Balu, will do this for you anyway, rather than just take your money and become invisible like some other operators.
Morris from Balu stayed in contact, and with his help Morris the driver made it a wonderful experience. Also in multiple ways Morris the driver showed great kindness and generosity beyond his professional responsibilities.
There were a few occasions over the three days wherein I felt things were not quite right, but as I described above both Morrises were open to conversation and adjustments accordingly on each of these occasions.
I thoroughly and warmly recommend Balu.