Maurice, Your Personal 24hrs Safari Consultant
Africa Safari Classics
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2008)
- Member Of:
- ATTA, ASTA, NTA & FTA
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $250 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Jordan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari experience!
My family and I had an amazing safari with Africa Safari Classics - 7 night 8 days with three lodges including two parks and on lake, fish eagle. I recommend them without hesitation. Our safari trip was made all the more fantastic, comfortable and manageable due to Maurice and John who made many alternatives, arrangements, met us at the airport and in the morning at hotel and our guide, driver and friend, John. Both went above and to met obstacles and challenges we presented from dietary restrictions (traveling with my husband and 75 yr old father), changes in itinerary, and kept an energy and positive attitude that made the trip fantastic . We came out with smiles on our faces and happy as heck. We saw hippo, cheetah, lion, zebra, elephant, giraffe, many bird species etc, went to a Maasai village and Shopping! We were able to enjoy both luxury and the real safari experience, had the vehicle to ourselves, wow! and crafted bargaining skills and were overall amazed with Safari Classics, Kenya, the safari and hope to go again in the future...
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Email Alda | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Terrific 9 day safari in Kenya
My 21 year old daughter and I went on a 9 day safari trip in Kenya in December 2018 and it was wonderful and memorable. We saw the “Big 5” animals and so much more.
Maurice did a superb job of organizing the trip, which included 5 game parks, and was exceptionally responsive to emails regarding details prior to the onset of the trip. He even made a special effort to see us at our hotel in Nairobi the day before the safari started to ensure the details were clear and kept in contact with our driver, Muli Jones, and with us throughout the trip.
Our driver, Muli Jones, was tireless and enthusiastic, even after a full day of game drives or driving us on the heavily trafficked roads between the parks. His love of animals and for Kenya was clear. He had an amazing eye for lions and cheetahs, and, on several occasions, saw a lion walking far in the distance and did his best to take us to see it. He also did an excellent job of getting us out of Amboseli after a heavy rainfall turned the only exit road into a flooded and raging river, arranging for a Land Cruiser to tow us out. The water of the river reached up to our vehicle doors but we were one of the few vehicles to make it out of the game park that morning so we could continue our trip. He was a safe driver as well and never seemed to let traffic congestion or slow downs frustrate him.
Our lodging was also excellent. It included both tent camps and lodges. I would like to make special mention of Severin Tent Camp in Tsavo West. The food was truly excellent with 4 course meals. Also, the Ark Forest Lodge in Aberdare had a wonderful viewing area where one could sit and read or relax and the animals would come to you. They had a buzzer that woke you at night if certain animals came, so we were able to see the group of 4 elephants who were protecting the baby from the hyenas at 12:45 am. We both wished we could have stayed there another night or two.
I recommend Africa Safari Classics without hesitation and hope to travel with them again in the future
CM
Email Antonio | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Air&Road Trip
Everything perfect! Above expectations.Professionalism, dedication, and sympathy. I recommend.
CA
Email Bruce | 65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful guiding to several parks with many exciting wildlife settings.
I booked a safari for my wife and me in Kenya through Africa Safari Classics starting in late January. I started with a suggested itinerary on its website and made some modifications, based on our interests and helpful suggestions from the manager Maurice Nzwii. Our safari included 2 nights in Tsavo West, 2 in Amboseli, 1 at the Ark at Aberdares (with its lighted waterhole), 2 in Samburu, 1 in Ol Pejeta Conservancy, 1 at the Sunbird Lodge at Lake Elementaita with an evening game drive at Nakuru, and 2 in Maasai Mara, before returning to Nairobi. Except for the 2 lodges, we stayed in very comfortable tent camps that all provided good to excellent meals. Our enthusiastic driver/guide Tony was wonderful. He was excellent at spotting and identifying game, and was able to quickly get us to prime sightings reported in Swahili on the short wave radio; he is highly familiar with the maze of roads in all of the parks. Tony was adept at positioning the vehicle for prime photographic opportunities.
We normally had 2 game drives per day and had plenty of wonderful sightings. The camps were all located at scenic spots providing opportunities for animal and bird viewing. Among the highlights were about 10 cheetahs spotted up close (including 5 brothers), several leopards including 2 with small cubs, many lions including a lioness with 4 cubs who had just killed a zebra, 5 rhinos at Ol Pejeta including one white, and lots of birds. We saw a broad range of terrains and habitats in the various areas of Kenya. While all the parks and reserves provided good scenery and some dramatic wildlife sightings, we especially enjoyed the density of wildlife in lush green settings at Amboseli and the Mara, as well as the excellent birding at Lake Navaisha. This was an ad-on to our initial itinerary suggested by Tony, based on our interests. We also added a visit to a Maasai village, which was interesting, but there was a lot of pressure to purchase handicrafts. We had also added a balloon ride over the Mara at sunrise. It was an interesting experience an we saw some wildlife including elephants, a lion, a huge herd of buffalo, and a hyena den, we more enjoyed our closer wildlife encounters on the ground. The balloon ride did provide a good opportunity to see the topography, including the many wildlife trails.
We arrived in Nairobi at 4:00 AM. Maurice had arranged for us to be transported to a hotel near the airport for breakfast, where we met him and our guide to begin our safari.
Maurice and Tony were in frequent communication by cell phone during our trip and we always felt we were being well looked after. There were some long distances between camps and sometimes challenging driving conditions that Tony managed well. Those drives provided opportunities to view the diverse terrain of Kenya (including views of Mounts Kilimanjaro and Kenya). It also provided opportunity to observe village life. At the end of our safari, Maurice arranged for a driver to take us to local sights of interest near Nairobi. At his suggestion, we had upgraded our safari vehicle to a Toyota Landcruiser rather than a Toyota van. This allowed access to more remote areas, especially in the Mara. In summary, we were extremely pleased with the wonderful service provided by Maurice and Tony.
DE
Email João Mata | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari in Kenya and Tanzania!
My wife and I had an amazing Safari experience in Kenya and Tanzania and we couldn't be happier about it! Not only did we easily spot the Big 5, but we had a fantastic time in both countries and got to know a lot about the people, the culture, the land... We definitely recommend Africa Safari Classics and would certainly plan another trip together with them again!
We started by looking up a suggested itinerary from Africa Safari Classics found on safaribookings.com and together with Maurice Nzwii made some adjustements that made our trip unforgetable.
Since the first email right until our departure back home Maurice was very engaged, always available and with all his experience gave us very valuable tips.
We booked a 11-day Safari, with 1 night in Nairobi, 1 night in Lake Nakuru, 2 in Masai Mara, 3 in Serengeti, 1 in Ngorongoro/Lake Manyara and 2 in Amboseli.
Additionally we stayed one night in a private concervancy near Masai Mara where we also did a Night Safari and a Walking Safari. Both of them were spectacular and offered a whole new Safari experience!
Among the highlights we saw from very close a cheetah hunting and eating a gazelle, several lions with their cubs, leopards and their preys on the trees, millions of wildebeests and zebras taking part in the Great Migration, hundreds of elephants in all sizes, black and white rhinos with cubs and also some animals mating (such as lions, crocodiles and hippos)
During our trip we had 4 guides: David in our first part of the trip in Kenya, Abdul in Tanzania, Jones in our last part of the tour in Kenya and Samson in the private conservancy near the Mara.
Every single one of them was very friendly, helpful, had great experience and knew the parks like the palm of their hands. If it wasn't for them we wouldn't have seen the half of what we did and we surely wouldn't have learned so much about the wildlife and the two countries. To them a very very special thanks!
We stayed in very beautiful and luxurious tented camps located at scenic spots in the parks, such as the Eagle View Camp, Basecamp Masai Mara, Kirawira Serena Camp and Tanzania Bush Camp in Serengueti and Kibo Safari Camp in Amboseli, where all the local people were extremely welcoming and always made us feel at home. And the food was delicious!
We definitely recommend Africa Safari Classics to anyone who is considering doing a Safari in any or both of these countries! We were extremely happy with the services provided by Maurice and all his attention! It certainly was the trip of a lifetime!
CH
Email Robert | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable
We celebrated our 10th anniversary with a 7 day safari (Tarangire, Ngorongoro, Western Serengeti, Lake Manyara) followed by a 4 day stay in Zanzibar. Visa, return flight and excursions in Zanzibar we organized ourselves. All transfers, safari incl. Camps and Lodges as well as hotel in Zanzibar we booked via Africa Safari Classics and were more than satisfied with our choice.
In comparison with other providers, Africa Safari Classics offered us a fair price-performance ratio. The care by Maurice was extremely competent. The journey could be adapted to our wishes. The travel documents were informative and complete.
Arrived at the airport Kilimanjaro everything worked like clockwork. The tip to get the visa already in Switzerland, was worth gold and saved us a long wait on entry. In front of the airport we were greeted by a well-tempered Abdul, who introduced himself as driver and guide for the safari. Of course, he first congratulated us on our anniversary and immediately handed us a snack against the small hunger. During the following, four-hour drive in the comfortable safari jeep to the first camp, we had ample opportunity to get to know each other and get first information.
During the following safari days, Abdul turned out to be a safe and very good driver and, thanks to his 12 years of experience as a connoisseur of national parks and excellent animal spotters. Often it was us who could inform the other drivers about an animal sighting. An invaluable advantage as these are usually the best photo opportunities. So we were the first who had a cheetah mother with her cup, a leopard or four lions close up in front of the lens. But the highlight of the trip was that thanks to Abdul we were able to experience the Big Migration. Watching the 8th Wonder of the World in the midst of an estimated 100,000 to 150,000 animals is an incredible experience. In addition to this highlight, we have seen tons of cape buffaloes, zebras, elephants, giraffes, flamingos, pelicans, storks, hypos, crocos, impalas, antelopes, monkeys or pumbas. Of course, there were also encounters with other lions, hyenas or jackals.
Thank you Abdul, that you transported us safely (over partly long and mostly bumpy routes), patiently and in very good English, you answered to all our questions and you made possible sensational animal sightings.
After the safari, Abdul took us back to Arusha. There a plane to Zanzibar awaited us. After another unforgettable days with picturesque sunset, long beach walks, snorkeling excursion with dolphin sighting and a romantic beach hotel with great food, we were safe, healthy and all around happy again dropped off at Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Thanks Maurice, for the excellent advice. The proposed camps and lodges all exceeded our experience. Facilities and standard were up to luxurious, the staff very friendly and helpful and the food including lunch boxes always excellent and well-tolerated. Also we were always surprised with nice attentions to our anniversary. Of course, this was a great pleasure for us and it was definitely a "hint" on your part. You did an excellent job!
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Email Steve | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Magical Africa Experience
I contacted Maurice from Africa Safari Classics along with several other Aferica adventure tour companies. From the start, Maurice provide clear, insightful information. I wanted to customize this trip and Maurice provided me with an itinerary that exactly met my wish list. We (my daughter and I) experienced a Kenya multi-day safari, a Uganda mountain gorilla trek, and a visit to Victoria Falls. Maurice not only laid out the perfect schedule, but he provided us with superb accommodations, outstanding guides, and complete, quick response to all questions I had prior to the trip. He also did everything within my price constraint. During the trip, he was in touch every day to make sure everything was up to speed and met our expectations. This 11 day trip exceeded all of my expectations and is one I will never forget. My daughter (age 19) and I take one trip together each year. We've been across the US, through Europe several time, and in South America. Her simple response of "Dad, this was by far the coolest trip ever" summed up our entire experience. I give Maurice and Africa Safari Classics my highest possible recommendation.
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Email Matt | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Honeymoon
We just returned from our honeymoon trip with Africa Safari Classics and we had an amazing experience.
When we first looked at going on a safari trip to Africa we quickly noticed how many operators and different options we had to choose from. It seemed like a very difficult task to decipher what was going to be the best option for us, but luckily we found Maurice at Africa Safari Classics.
Maurice is the most helpful person we have ever worked with in the travel industry. He helped us plan and customize the perfect honeymoon experience for us, and then once the trip started he made sure he checked-in with us several times to make sure that everything was going well. We were lucky enough to meet Maurice in person in Kenya at the beginning of the trip, and he also took time out of his day to meet us again at the end to make sure that we were happy with how things went.
Maurice set us up with Joseph who was the perfect safari guide for the type of animals and birds we wanted to see on our trip. Joseph was such a great resource in pointing out all of the various mammal and bird species, and he always made sure that we were safe and had plenty of time for photos.
The attention to detail and level of service that we experienced with Africa Safari Classics was amazing. After we confirmed our flight details we didn't have to lift a finger. The airport transfers, luggage handling, hotel/lodge reservations, transportation, park fees, etc. were all handled by Maurice and his staff, and everything was made extremely easy for us. Basically all we needed to know was what time we would start the game drives each morning!
We give Africa Safari Classics our highest recommendation, and whenever we decide to take our next trip to Africa we fully plan on contacting Maurice again!
IT
Email Simone | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing Experience!
We found Africa Safari Classic on safaribooking.com and, since one of the tours matched perfectly with what we had in mind, we decided to contact Maurice.
From the first moment to when we returned home everything was perfect and superbly organized.
Abdul, our guide, was extremely helpful and very kind throughout our trip, giving us lots of interesting information about what we saw and satisfying all our requests.
Shifts and lodges were truly incredible and we had the chance to stay in fantastic places surrounded by nature.
For all these reasons I can only recommend Africa Safari Classics because it will surely give you an extraordinary experience!
LU
Email Nicole | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Christmas in Kenya - Safari & Chale Island
During the 2019 Christmas holiday, our family of 4 (kids ages 8&9) spent 12 nights on a Kenya safari and Chale island holiday. We traveled with another family with kids similar ages. We all made memories to last a lifetime!
We stayed at 3 very different camps (Sweetwater's, Mbweha and Mara Safari Club) and ended our trip relaxing in the pools and beach on Chale Island. The Fairmont Mara Safari Club was our favorite camp. We saw ALL of the animals - leopard, cheetahs, lions, elephants, rhinos, buffalo, zebras, giraffes, hyenas, and so much more. I recommend the hot air balloon ride in Masai Mara!
Maurice helped with every detail of our trip. He met with us in Nairobi at the start of the holiday and stayed in touch to make sure everything was going well throughout the trip. He was always easy to reach by phone and quick to respond.
If you love animals and are up for an adventure, I recommend contacting Maurice to help plan your safari and beach holiday.
