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
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience working with Kenya Walking Survivors!
Otieno (OT) of Kenya Walking Survivors organized a customized 13-day private tour in Kenya and Uganda for safaris and gorilla trekking. OT was very responsive and understanding of our needs and made sure all travel, park, food, and lodging arrangements were in place. He was very upfront about costs so that there were no surprises. Food and lodging were adequate and our driver-guide-cooks (Ochieng/Jacob, Martin/Sam) did their jobs superbly. While he made several changes to our itinerary, they were understandable and communicated to us. Just a caution--there was a lot of driving (unavoidable) and some activities such as the gorilla trek and pygmy village visit were physically demanding. Overall, we had a great time and highly recommend Kenya Walking Survivors for future trips.
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A tour operator that can provide adventures in whole East Africa and adjust them to your wishes.
Early February 2014 I made, together with a Swedish friend, a gorilla trip to Uganda combined with a Safari day in Lake Nakuru Game Park in Kenya. The arrangements as a whole were well carried out, especially the visits to Lake Nakuru and the trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, where we saw the gorillas from a distance of 6-7 meters. We also spent two days in Kampala and half a day in the town of Nakuru.
We were provided a Toyota car with a good driver and a sidekick to him who took care of all administrations (hotels, food etc) along the trip. As a whole the accommodations were good, though we had some complaint about the hotel in Kabale where we one day went out of water for some time. But the hotel staff was friendly and did their best to minimize our situation when carrying buckets of hot water up to our rooms.
As a whole the tour company lived up more then well to our expectations. We got to see what we wanted to see, and a little more.
MT
Email Carmen | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya walking survivors made my unforgetable experience at an affordable price
Kenya Walking Survivors were there waiting for us at the airport. They are reliable and whom I can trust to guide you . They are always behind you to show you what the real Africa is all about. Game drives are thrilling taking you on the spot of the beautiful wildlife. The campsites chosen gave us a pleasurable stay and literally forget the long drive behind you. I wish to thank them for making this holiday a truly unforgetable one.
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The company was very accomodating and helpful and the experience overall was really excellent.
Everybody tried to do their best to make us feel comfortable and give us the Kenya experience, that did not go unnoticed! Very few misunderstandings regarding expectations. Good job.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience - very exciting - always safe - very good value for money
I had a great time with KWSS in January 2014! OT - the company boss - cares a lot about his clients.
To be in touch with them - via email and in person in Nairobi - is very important to him. He's the one who normally picks you up at the airport and explains to you, what is going to happen.
The communication via email in advance was very fast! (which is VERY different from other tour operators I know..)
The driver, Mike, did a very good job. I've seen A LOT during our game drives in Lake Manyara N.P, Serengeti N.P. and the Ngorongoro Crater. The cook, Sami, did an excellent job!
It was very impressive to see what he was able to provide for you in those simple kitchens. I've gained weight, that's for sure...
About staying overnight during the tour: We talked about improving the tents and mattrasses - but that's it. Everything else was great. I especially enjoyed those little huts next to Lake Manyara N.P.
The Toyota Landcruiser with pop up roof is the ideal game drive vehicle. In ours it was even possible to charge camera batteries during the drive! (How awesome is that???)
I'm looking forward to travelling with KWSS again!
Thanks a lot once again, Gentlemen!
Ben, Stuttgart, Germany
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience in a life time!
We had an absolutely wonderful safari (9 day/8 night) and great service with KWSS in February. One of the crucial things we learned: your guide/driver matters very much. Go for an experienced one!
Before: Indeed, OT was always very prompt with his replies and I am glad we trusted the earlier reviews about KWSS on safaribookings.com. We were worried about carrying the balance in cash to Nairobi but there was no problem at all. We booked at least one night in Nairobi inclusive of the tour just in case any of our flight segments had been delayed. But we DID arrange with OT for an airport pickup and were able to meet him and finalize payment the following day. (Having SOMETHING pre-arranged for a ride from the airport was essential.
Guide/Driver: It turns out that a talented guide is SO important. The guide must be able to watch the road (constantly, all roads have terrible potholes), scan the horizon for animals or indicators of animals, understand where they are within each national park (without stopping and checking a map), frequently (safely) pass trucks on the roads between parks, and listen to the radio for animal spotting. We had Allan, and we were happy to spend 8-9 days with him. He was friendly and ethical; he was quiet when we were and talkative when we wanted to talk and ask questions. He could spot animals like nobody's business every time we were in the parks. He knew his way around, even in the Serengeti where there are many side roads with nothing posted. He drove so very patiently on the roads in between parks, passing safely when possible and always slowing down carefully for the speed bumps and the potholes. Allan genuinely wanted us to have a good experience, and had a real love for the animals. So he really WORKED at trying to figure day-by-day the best route or places to go within a park, and checked road conditions with all of his friends among the guides across all of the companies. We have no doubt that being with ALLAN was one of the most important reasons we enjoyed our safari so thoroughly.
We where three and the safari van 4x4 was seven saeter As other reviewers have noted, this permits us room to switch seats and to have luggage right in the back. BUT IN ADDITION, we think that the ride would have been even more smoother.
All the route OT choose was excellent and great. So I think you can trust OT (OTIENO)judgment in choosing where to stay and go
I am so incredibly glad we did it in this order.it was such an awesome introduction to Africa for me. I know that what you see varies, and that different safari reviews illustrate different experiences. We had plenty of lions, elephants, water buffalo - all up very close - and our best look at the shy warthogs, plus many different hooved animals and birds at ngorongoro crater. Also, great baboons. At Tsavo West, we picked up great leopard viewing - not just the leopard fed at Ngulia - especially one that walked along the vehicle! We also had fantastic elephant viewing. By Amboseli, ironically, we never had the close-up views of the elephants that we enjoyed
Based on OUR experience, I'd say that Maasai Mara are "can't miss". But I couldn't have skipped any of the other places - except Bogoria. The water levels are deepening at Nakuru and so it is now a free option to spend the morning driving up to Lake Bogoria to see the thousands of flamingos. We did this - and while the sight was really great and enjoyable, it did not offset the long, long drive and the tough sections of road. We'd have been better to have more time in either Nakuru park or Naivasha park - and seen the huge flamingo flock via National Geographic TV. The Mwangaza tented camp Mara is just inside a gate at Maasai Mara, rather than just outside, but also had a long, really punishing approach between deep within the Mara and the lodge. Again, the Sopa was probably worth it but next time we go to Maasai Mara I'll be tempted to to stay in a different area of the large park.
In summary, we strongly urge you to use OT (OTIENO)and KWSS (Kenya walking survivors safaris ltd. And try to get Allan .
Don’t forget they are pocket friendly
I really recommend KWSS to anybody
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My experience with Kenya Walking Survivors is certainly pleasant, but there's room for improvement.
To start, I just want to provide a little background about the trip so that it's easier to understand the pros and cons. It was a 16 days trip that includes Safari(8-9 days) in both Kenya and Tanzania and Trekking in Mt. Kilimanjaro(6 days).
I thought the pre-trip communications could have been more effective provided that it's a fairly lengthy trip and that a lot of preparation is needed for the climb. The company didn't clearly convey to us regarding what to prepare and what to expect. Nevertheless, the Safari part of the trip went very smoothly with no problems. The lodging was mostly delightful and the guide was very knowledgeable and patient in showing us all the wild lives.
For the Trekking in Mt. Kilimanjaro part of the trip, the services that were provided to us unfortunately didn't live up to our expectation. Kenya Walking Survivors seemed to have contracted with a Tanzania local travel agency called Africa Royals in handling the Mt. Kilimanjaro part. Therefore, we were handed over to the Africa Royals immediately following the completion of the Safari. Africa Royals is disorganized at best. As you probably know, staying dry is one of the most important factors that play into whether or not one would succeed in reaching the top. However, our clothes got wet the very first day of the climb and, as a result, we were suffering for the remaining of the climb. Another area that invites criticism is camp management. Every single day, we were the last group to start the climb and once we reached the next camp site, we often have to wait for an hour or two for the porter to arrive and set up the tent. My last complaint is the fact that the principal guide doesn't sufficiently communicate the time table of activities of the day to us and even if he does, he's usually the one who doesn't abide by it. For instance, on the night of reaching the peak we were told that we would start climbing at 1am. and that someone would wake us up prior to that time to get prepared. We woke up ourselves at 1:30 am and the guide was still sleeping in his tent. We would have missed the sunrise at the peak.
All in all, I think Kenya Walking Survivors provided decent service for the Safari part, but partnering with Africa Royals for providing services to customers on Mt Kilimanjaro is in desperate need for improvement.
This was an amazing trip and I recommend Kenya Walking Survivors without reservation to everyone!
Kenya Walking Survivors Safari put a trip together for us that was in our budget and surpassed our expectations. The director responded promptly to our questions, picked us up at the airport, at the border, and made us feel like family. Our guide and cook were great and we always felt taken care of. I have only positive things to say and hope everyone gets to experience this type of trip!
LB
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a very good experience, I very much enjoyed the services provided.
Communication and services were very good. Timely pick-ups, drivers really consider the needs of the tourists along the way, the place we stayed at was clean and the food was good. The safari trips were very enjoyable.
Email Emily | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent communication, organisation, advice and value for a bespoke 17-day safari / gorillas trip
Myself and my female friend, two professional women in our mid 30s, have booked a personalised 17-day safari trip for August this year.
We were both really impressed by the personal advice and service that Mr. Otieno gave us whilst we planned outer trip. He came up with a fantastic personalised itinerary that included all the things we wanted to do and see in the 17-days we have available - including all the best safari sites in Tanzania and Kenya, a visit to the gorillas in Uganda, and arrival and departure using the most convenient airports for us. He also advised us on the type of accommodation we might want, according to our personal preferences.
Mr Otieno was constantly available by Skype and by email to answer all my many questions! He showed excellent and patient communication and always responded immediately. He also gave us a fantastic price which met our budget requirements but still allows us to do all we had hoped for and more. He provided immediate receipts for the deposit transferred in advance.
We are very happy with the booking and organisational service that he has provided, and his communication and humour through the quite nerve-wracking decision-making process!
We can't wait to set out in August!