The Team Behind Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris
Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris Ltd
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2003)
- Member Of:
- Eco Tourism & Kenya Wildlife Services
- Tour Types:
- Custom budget & mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $64 to $490 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Carol Schaffer | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic from beginning to end :)
When I was planning this trip with only 6 weeks advance notice, I had a lot of previous experience traveling, but not to Africa and not with safaris. I found the Safari Bookings website from a reference in Lonely Planet. As I started to put in what countries and the amount of time I had, KWSS kept popping up with wonderful reviews and fair to excellent pricing! The reviews cross referenced well with Trip Advisor, and I especially appreciated being able to email a few former KWSS clients with questions!
Mr. Otieno was a pleasure to deal with, quickly responsive and very professional, and he customized a 21 day itinerary just for me that hit all of the places a Kenyan friend had advised me to see! I did an itinerary that included Mt. Kenya, Samburu, Naivasha, Nakuru, Lake Bogoria, Lake Baringo, Maasai Mara, Tsavo East and West, Amboseli, and Ngorongoro Crater/Arusha in Tanzania. Apologies if I somehow left anything out! All were wonderful.
Most of my accommodations were terrific. My very favorite was Kibo Safari Camp in Amboseli (I could live in that "tent" long-term, and the staff were super lovely and food was great and oh, what a view of Kilimanjaro!) followed by Voi Wildlife Lodge in Tsavo West, swanky with a very cool watering hole! but many stood out -- Octagon Lodge near Ngorongoro and even the city hotels like the Charity Hotel in Arusha and Sky Hotel in Nairobi I really liked and would have been happy to stay longer :) The one exception would be the Ngulia Lodge in Tsavo East -- very nice views at dusk and I did get to see the leopard, but the room was outdated and uncomfortable and it was impossible with a single outlet and only 4-5 hrs of electricity to both charge my devices and have the fan working. And the food was beyond awful and recycled from one meal to the next. However, given the location and the view I understand why I was there for one night...
My main guide was Paul in Kenya -- he and I were together for 18 days and it was a delight! He is extremely knowledgeable, attentive to the vehicle and an amazing driver, proactive in having maintenance done so we didn't get stuck anywhere, concerned about my safety and enjoyment, with a lovely personality. He was very very patient with my wanting to stop for photos just about everywhere, and I got some great ones! :) I would recommend him wholeheartedly as a guide/driver to anyone. In Tanzania I had Innocent for 2 days -- he is terrific and super bright, fluent in many languages, and seriously interested in the birds and animals. Takes his professionalism seriously and I'd love to go back and spend more time with him as my guide in Tanzania! At the end of the trip for the last day and a half I had John as my driver around the Nairobi area and to the Giraffe Center and David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust where I had requested to go. He is absolutely great as well!!
Kudos to KWSS for helping me organize such a kick-ass amazing trip, and taking care of all the details, and supplying me with fabulous guides and great accommodation at a very fair price! Would absolutely recommend and I would love to travel with them again!
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Email Lauren and Patrick | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience for our first Safari! Highly recommeded!
Mr. Otieno puts together a wonderful product! He was always very responsive when we had questions about our safari and would respond in 24 hours. Our safari for 14 days in Kenya and Tanzania was amazing! We had wonderful guides who were so knowledgeable, great meals, wonderful camps and lodges to stay in - everything was great. We saw so many animals and wildlife on our tour and had some great cultural experiences. Our favorite spots were Masaai Mara, Lake Nakuru, the Serengeti, and Amboseli. Serekani camp, Lake Nakuru lodge, the Savanna tented camps, and Kibo Safari camp were the best places to stay! We also loved the Hot Air Balloon Ride and champagne brunch over Masaai Mara. Our only two minor comments are to remove the Fanaka lodge from the itinerary (and stay on property at Lake Manyara) and let customers know ahead of time about the Flight Link flight to Zanzibar, incase they want to do the larger Precision Air flight. I would still highly recommend Kenya Safari tours, regardless! Thank you for a wonderful vacation Mr. Otieno! We would definitely return when we have the chance!
Email Abdurrahman Uyan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A flawless journey with Kenya Walking Survivors
The manager Mr.Otieno organised a flawless tour for us and our driver/guide Ibrahim did his best for us to enjoy the trip. It was relatively short tour (1 day in Lake Nakuru, 3 days in Maasai Mara) but we saw all big 5 and many other animals. We even saw 2 male lions (which is difficult to see actually) after hunting a buffalo. We highly reccomend Kenya Walking Survivors to everyone.
Email Elizabeth | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience
I had a lot of questions before booking and after and found that they were all answered promptly and efficiently. The actual safari was very well organised with no problems transitioning between location or countries. My drivers were well informed of the itinery and had excellent knowledge of the areas and animals. I travelled alone and felt very safe he whole time thanks to the 2 drivers I had. Overall a fantastic experience and I would definitely recommend the company to others wanting a safari.
GH
Email Jackie | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent service and tour guides. Many thanks again.
Excellent service and extraordinary tour guides. Many thanks again.
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Email Erin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Benson is the BEST - his enthusiasm, consideration, maintenance and flexibility can’t be beat!
The communications were great, although I was naive in planning for the visas. The service was outstanding, catered to my personal preferences. The flexibility demonstrated truly exceeded my expectations. The safari tour itself was far more than I ever imagined, including lions mating, giraffes sparring, hippos floating downriver, the wildebeast migration and the most adorable families of warthogs playing!
BENSON having found the big five in Masai Mara the FIRST day allowed time to be spent the following days watching the animals interact. While knowledge and experience are typically expected, I appreciate that Benson took the time to learn my interests and arrange changes to my itinerary. His efforts to promote the community meant that we were always well received. Benson’s individual enthusiasm was especially rewarding at the end of the day when I was tired (I would have missed the lions mating if he had not taken the extra turn on our way back to camp!) The accomidations were outstanding and Benson’s care for the vehicle was also much appreciated because he kept the windows clean for better viewing and it never stalled.
I hope to reserve first choice on him being my guide when I return, which I definitely will!!!
TH
Email Pongsakorn | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
Great taking care and good command in English, good service
MT
Email Emi | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A lifetime's experience.
We did a 13 day safari across West Kenya/Tanzania and down to Zanzibar. It was a very well planned trip and our tour guide, David, was great. Also, the company representative, Otieno, responded to our queries quickly and help us all throughout. Would definitely recommend this company.
CZ
Email Katerina | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best holiday we have ever been
It was wonderful from the beginning till the end. Our family visited Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara for 6 day. The Kenya Walking Survivors Safaris arranged for us domestic flight Mombasa x Nairobi x Mombasa and the whole safari. Our guide - Ken pick up us at the airport and has been with us the whole time. We visited different places and different type of Safaris. (by car, by foot, by boat) He took us to the different places at Masai Mara and he has shown us the most beautiful part of Afrika. Despite the fact that I had to go to the hospital at the end of the trip. Ken took care of me, took me to Nairobi, but the whole family in the safari continued. Thank you very much to Ken and the whole agency for their approach and hearty solution of the whole situation.
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Email Jay from Shaker Hts, Ohio | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Everything that was promised
We just returned from an 11 day trip to Kenya planned by Kenya Walking Survivors Ltd. It was the trip of a lifetime and we got everything we were promised. I think that Mr O must sleep with his computer because most of my correspondence were answered within hours in spite of the 8 hour time difference. Our guide/driver Paul was fantastic. He was extremely knowledgeable and very pleasant. He certainly helped make the trip a success. The various places we stayed at were all excellent. Even though it was low season, the service was excellent. Because there were so few people at the facilities we didn't have buffets, but a choice of at least two or three options. I highly recommend KWSS if you are planning on visiting Kenya.