African Paradise Safaris guide
Paradise in Africa Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 1-5 employees (Founded in 2009)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $180 to $550 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
US
Email Hong | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great experience touring with Africa Paradise Safari
We visited Kenya and Tanzania in August with Africa Paradise Safari in a group of 8 friends. I had an experience that exceeded my expectations. The trip was planned by an organizer of our group 5-6 months before the visit through emails with John Peter who had replied to our frequent questions patiently and was always willing to accommodate our requests. Our guide/driver Ken is very experienced and skillful in finding the best spots for viewing animals. We saw almost all animals we expected to see. The best part of the trip was being able to see wildebeest migration, having seen more than four separate river crossings in Masai Mara and Serengeti. I highly recommend touring with Africa Paradise Safari.
Please check out the videos I made during this trip in the following link.
https://www.youtube.com/@drhongjiang/videos
FR
Email Matéos romain | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Perfect
I recommend African Paradise who organized a dream Safari for me and my wife.
US
Email Annabel | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari Vacation of a Lifetime!
Our family of 4 (hubby, my mom, our son and me) recently returned from the most incredible vacation of our lives - all thanks to John Peter and our amazing driver/guide, Lawrence. Through John Peter/African Paradise Safaris, we booked a 12-night, all inclusive private safari - staying 1 night in Nairobi, 3 nights in Tsavo, 2 nights in Amboseli, 3 nights in Masai Mara, 2 nights in Lake Naivasha and 1 night in Nairobi before returning to the U.S. What sets APS/John Peter apart is his willingness to modify every detail to meet the most selective of tastes (mine). Through Messenger and WhatsApp, John and I communicated at least 4-5 dozen times because 1) I kept changing my mind about where I wanted to stay, for how long and what I wanted to see/do 2) I needed repeated reassurances that everything was booked exactly the way I wanted. Most operators would've asked me to take a hike a month in, but not John. For 11 months, John Peter was patient, offered options and pricing that were attractive and helped me plan the "Perfect Kenya Safari." (I use this quote because that's how we referred to it each time.)
Now for my rating .. People say that true colors come out when something goes awry. Our v trip was no exception. Even after all the excruciating planning John Peter endured, I managed to lose my son's passport as we're waiting in the customs line upon arrival in Kenya. (Can't even make this up.) John Peter was on the phone with us and the customs agent until 1 am to help us. We were granted a 7-day pass so that we can secure an emergency passport from the US embassy. Since we arrived on Saturday, we had to wait 2 nerve-racking nights before Monday when the embassy opened.
In comes our driver/guide, Lawrence, to our rescue.. Lawrence was PHENOMENAL!!!! He was patient, kind, funny, reassuring and took us everywhere we needed to go at all hours of the day and night to secure the new passport (US embassy) and get travel approval from the Kenyan government (Nyoyo House). With our language barriers and utter ignorance of Kenyan laws, we would've simply left Kenya or be locked up in a dingy cell. Lawrence performed miracles and made it all a breeze - all in a day's work. He even took us to the Nairobi National Park twice and spotted lions and rhinos when we were stuck in Nairobi!
Once official approvals were complete, John Peter and Lawrence made several last minute changes to ensure a trip of a lifetime, and, boy did they knock it out of the park!!! What sets Lawrence apart is 1) incredible wisdom through years of experience 2) his infinite connections. We joked that Lawrence is a celebrity guide because he literally knew EVERYONE .. guards, shopkeepers, other guides, you name it. With his connections and well-honed animal tracking skills, we saw the big 5 multiple times. Each time Lawrence was able to place his vehicle front and center of the action. No fail. The highlight of the trip was watching a female cheetah and her 4 cubs stalk and pounce on an Impala. Mind. Blown. Lawrence has a 6th sense of exactly where the animals are and how they travel. We had several cheetahs and lions walk right next to our vehicle. I could've EASILY reached out and touched them. There were too many intricacies of Lawrence's animal tracking and driving abilities to enumerate. In fact, Lawrence had to help a fellow driver out of a mud pit. Meaning, the other driver got stuck, Lawrence hopped in the driver's seat and was able to drive it out. Suffice it to say Lawrence was the consummate professional safari guide. You will NOT find one better. For those who think you know where the animals are, you don't. Just trust in Lawrence, and you won't be disappointed.
I'll just conclude my very long review by saying you can't go wrong with APS. They offer the best in class service at a reasonable cost. Just book it.
CA
Email Marco | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My advice is not to trust APS, they were dishonest and unresponsive with us
We were a group of four and wanted to do safaris in Kenya and Tanzania in July 2024 and wanted this to be a private tour. After doing a lot of research, we had a very specific itinerary in mind, including the parks we wanted to visit and the accommodations we wanted to use.
So we contacted African Paradise Safaris (APS) in July 2023 (over a year in advance) to ask if they would be able to do this itinerary and they assured us they could. They provided us with a quote for this specific itinerary and it seemed good so we booked with John Peter.
We just returned from our trip and we had a very bad experience with APS. They did not respect the contract at all, they lied, and they did not respond to our emails when we reported the problems. They were very responsive when they wanted us to book our trip with them, but after that they just ignore you.
Here are some of the very bad surprises we had with APS :
- The Land Cruiser provided in Kenya was not appropriate.
It was very dirty, very old, too small to accommodate our luggage and in very poor condition. And it did not seem safe at all. Everybody was passing us on the road and our driver could not keep up because his steering wheel was shaking hard. At some point he even left us at a roadside market to go get it fixed but it did not help a lot. This caused us to lose a lot of precious time during the Kenya part of our trip.
During our game drives we saw a lot of other Land Cruiser et we clearly had the worst, and this was not what we paid for.
- The itinerary was not respected and something fishy was going on.
One day we were scheduled to arrive at our lodge in time for lunch, relax and have an afternoon game drive later.
However, our driver told us he knew a shortcut and decided to use some back road to get there and was very evasive when we asked him questions as why we were not going to the lodge first as planned.
He got lost three times trying to figure out where he was going and we lost so much time that he finally had to stop in the middle of nowhere to ask a guy to guide us on his motorcycle, through a very rocky terrain, to a non-official questionable entrance of the Maasai Mara park. We then lost some more time while he negotiates our entry and I suspect that using this back-entrance was a way to avoid paying the full fees for the park. We finally got in the park around 16h30 for a short game drive, but with all our luggage still in the jeep so this was very uncomfortable.
We were supposed to have lunch at the lodge and then relax until our game drive, instead we lost all our afternoon driving around in bad conditions, had a late crampy game drive and got to the lodge after sunset so we could not enjoy the facilities as expected.
- We booked two nights at the Zebra Plains Mara Camp but when we got there, there was no reservation for us.
Our driver took us to the wrong lodge first, then he finally got us to the Zebra Plains but they had no reservation for us, they told us APS did not book our reservation.
We thought somebody must have made a mistake and they would fix it so we will let them figure it out. After a while the Zebra Plains representant told us that they would only be able to provide us with rooms at their sister lodge, the Zebra River camp, about 35 minutes away.
It was irritating but it was getting late and we had no other choice.
The other accommodation seemed equivalent (not as much wildlife around though) but it was not the one that we chose and paid for.
Again a lot of time was wasted.
- In our quote we asked for a french speaking guide and APS told us it would not be a problem and they would provide a guide/driver that speaks french.
APS confirmed to us more than once that there would be just one person to accompany us (guide/driver would be the same person) when we specifically ask about that. However, in the middle of our trip we learned that we would have to switch vehicle and driver for the Tanzanian part of the trip because it seems APS subcontracted this part to another company called African Natural.
When we got to the border we were surprised to see that now we had two guys, a guide and a driver, which would mean that we would now have to pay double in tips.
We tried to contact APS about that but got no response.
But on the bright side, the Land Cruiser provided for the Tanzanian part of the trip was a LOT nicer. It was clean, spacious and in good mechanical order. It had a working cooler full of water, not just a dirty non-refrigerated box like we had before. In fact, this Land Cruiser was just like the ones all the other companies use! That was exactly what we expected and did not get in Kenya.
- We booked one night at the Rhino Lodge but again when we got there, there was no reservation for us.
This was the second time APS failed to book what we asked for and this time it was really beginning to piss us off.
We asked and there were rooms available but no reservation for us.
Our driver tried to contact APS and African Natural to sort this out, but they blamed each other and told him they could not even booked the available rooms.
They relocated us to Ngorongoro Wild Camp which is about 45 minutes away and is not at all comparable (a big step down).
We paid for a room with a fireplace, a nice restaurant, a nice view and we got a camp with no view, no fireplace and a restaurant that looked like a poor cafeteria.
And this place was not convenient at all (a lot further on very bad road), so we lost more than 2 hours the first day sorting this out and getting there and lost another hour the next day to get to the Ngorongoro crater.
Again we emailed APS to get some answers and never got any response.
- Our reservation at Masailand Safari Lodge was not booked full board (all meals included).
When we got to this place they informed us that our reservation was just bed and breakfast so we would have to pay for dinner and would not have our lunchbox the next day.
Our driver had to sort this out with APS again. After a while the lodge finally told us that African Natural agreed that we could have dinner but no lunchbox.
Since our invoice was clear that we paid for full board we send proof to APS and African Natural using Whatsapp and after a while we got a response telling us we would get our lunch the next day. Again we lost a lot of time for something that should have been done right from the start.
- We booked two nights at the Kibo Safari Camp but again APS failed and did not book it.
This time we did not even had to get to Kibo Safari Camp to learn that APS did not book our reservation.
We were on the way there and we happened to ask the driver if he knew the place to which he just answered that we were not going there after all!
This was the third time APS failed to book what we asked for, this is unacceptable.
We were pissed and asked why since this is the place we booked, and he told us APS decided to upgrade us for no reason and that we were now going to the Ol Tukai Lodge.
We specifically chose the Kibo Safari Camp because it is #1 on TA but again it seemed we had no choice but to accept that APS failed and lied.
The Ol Tukai Lodge (#3 on TA) was not bad and we liked it, but when you plan a year in advance and did not get what you paid for it is very irritating.
We were still able to have a good trip since Kenya and Tanzania have a lot to offer if you want to do safaris, but just do not use African Paradise Safaris (APS) if you want to avoid the stress and the deceptions.
And make sure your driver uses his radio to communicate with other drivers. Our driver did in Kenya which was very helpful but in Tanzania the other driver did not and we think we missed a lot of opportunities because of that.
NZ
Email Kalvin G | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
14 Day Kenya Wildlife Adventure Private Tour
My partner and I booked a private safari with APS for the 14 Day Kenya Wildlife Adventure which saw us visiting the following parks Tsavo East x2, Amboseli x2, Aberdare x1, Samburu x2, Lake Nakuru x1, Maasai Mara x3, Lake Naivasha x1 as well as a night in Nairobi. We organised everything through John Peter who responded patiently to all of my questions (and I asked a lot!), modifying the itinerary to our needs and while we were in Kenya, helping us to locate our taxi driver and upgrading one of the rooms in the Maasai Mara which we really appreciated! Our guide/driver was Lawrence and he was incredible, getting us close to all the animals, always on the radio to let others know what we had found and getting good information back. Aside from black rhinos, there was nothing that we didn’t see from all the main animals, we saw everything multiple times and every time it blew our minds completely. Every park had its own unique characteristics and nothing was the same. All of the park rangers were so friendly and knowledgable, as well as all of the boat operators and guides. It was so hard saying goodbye. All of the rooms and facilities in our accomodation were beyond what we expected and the food alone is a reason to return, we were spoiled! Our van did break down a few times during the trip which unfortunately meant some of our plans changed, however this was out of Lawrence’s hands and led to some great experiences that wouldn’t have happened otherwise. We will cherish this trip forever and thank APS so much for providing us with such an amazing experience in Kenya!
US
Email Zhou S | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
14-Day Kenya Masai Mara /Amboseli/Samburu/Aberdare/Tsavo
We are a group of 4 friends taking the 14 days private safari, and had a wonderful time. The communication with John was prompt and full of useful and accurate information. Our guide Lawrence impressed us throughout the whole journey with his excellent spirit.
We chose to upgrade our lodges at Amboseli and Masai Mara. Looking back, we should have probably picked a different lodge inside the Amboseli park, so we don't have to rush out of the park before it's getting dark.
We will be more than happy to do business with APS again, probably during the migration season and to cover Tanzania the next time.
Email Kamil | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Holiday of a lifetime and made even better by African Paradise Safaris!
Our 9 day private safari tour of Kenya and Tanzania visiting the Masai Mara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Amboseli was unbelievable and organized so well thanks to John Peter of African Paradise Safaris. John was excellent at communicating by email and WhatsApp, he was very accommodating when organizing the tour and made any adjustments that we wanted to the itinerary. The payment terms were also convenient and was the best value across multiple tour operators.
When we landed in Nairobi, our baggage unfortunately was left behind by the airline. This could have easily ruined our holiday, but John and his team were there to ensure we got our baggage quickly. They spoke with the airline and once our baggage arrived in Kenya, they organized it to be delivered to us at a town near the Mara. Davido, our guide in Kenya, was extra helpful in driving to a town which was completely out of the way to ensure we were able to pick up our baggage and continue on the tour.
The safaris were an experience of a lifetime! Davido and Joseph (our guide in Tanzania) were very knowledgeable about the animals, the culture and made our experience so much better. We saw the Big Five along with so many other animals, and were able to take unbelievable pictures. There was a lot of driving involved between the locations but Davido and Joseph were excellent at keeping us entertained and educated during our drives.
The lodges recommended by APS were very good with great food, hospitality and all being at brilliant locations.
I would definitely recommend African Paradise Safaris and will be using them again the next time we visit!
Thank you John, Davido and Joseph for an unforgettable experience!
HU
Email George | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing
Highly recommended! We enjoyed every second of our six days private safari. Our driver, Jackson, went above and beyond. He has extensive knowledge of the parks and the animals that roam there. Thanks to his efforts and driving skills, we’ve seen the big five! We will remember our time with him fondly.
We also have to thank John, the person responsible for organising our safari. He prepared an incredibly structured and scheduled tour that fit our budget and needs perfectly. You can’t go wrong with choosing their tour! Thank you both for everything!
Email Will | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent overall
Excellent safari overall, had a great driver, saw a brilliant variety of animals and the accommodation was overall not too bad. One down side was there was a lot of driving overall, day three particularly, once you've visited the Masai is basically all driving. However, overall you will not find better for this kind of money.
CA
Email Peimeng | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Safari Trip
We had our first ever Safari trip to Kenya between August 31 and Sept 8. African Paradise Safaris hosted our trip and made it unforgettable. John of APS was reachable by email and WhatsApp. He was very flexible with the itinerary and offered good payment terms and conditions, which made us decide to go with APS. Whenever we had request, he would say NO PROBLEM and accommodate.
We had an excellent guide, Joseph, who is attentive and thoughtful. His explanation of wild animals made this trip a learning opportunity. His driving skill was amazing and made each game drive not only safe but exciting. Joseph also helped other drivers when their vehicles were got in trouble. We saw all of Big Five multiple times during this trip, which made our trip unforgettable.