Absolute Holiday Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Member Of:
- Ministry of Tourism Kenya & Kenya Tourism Federation.
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $600 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
AE
Email Dmytrii | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience
I've chosen the budget 7-days safari (Maasai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, Amboseli) in March due to my tight budget and I didn't regret it! Absolute Holiday Safaris offered me exactly the same package as the rest of the operators, but for a lower price.
I'm so happy with my Kenyan safari, it was unforgettable indeed.
The guys were so kind and flexible, any issues could be easily settled down and negotiated immediately on the spot. It was very safe and well-planned. A perfect safari experience.
I want to thank to everyone who was taking care of me there - David, John, Patrick, Maxwell, Richard, Joseph (sorry if I forgot someone).
Keep doing the great job, guys!
5/5
AE
Email Subham Chattopadhyay | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jambo!! Budget, Safe, Great itineraries. Great Team!!!
My Husband and I booked a 7 days trip to Kenya (Masai Mara, Lake Naivasha, Lake Nakuru, Amsoli National Park) with Absolute Holiday Safaris from 15th to 21st July, 2017. We booked it online with a nominal booking amount and paid the rest of the amount in Nairobi at the office. We were in constant touch with Mr. David with whom we discussed about the tour and other important things. He always answered to all our queries and we received prompt responses. We were received from our Nairobi Hotel by Mr. Ambrose (Chalo) who was our guide and point of contact for the entire tour. He gave us a brief idea about the Do's and Don'ts before our trip. He is a very warm hearted guy and very very helpful. He gave us a trip full of wonderful memories which we'll cherish forever. He has knowledge on the flora and fauna of Kenya and he also tells some very interesting stories. We also met Patrick. He was the captain of another Safari. Both Chalo and Patrick coordinated very well together. We are soon planning to go on our Tanzania Tour with Absolute Holiday and Safaris. Great Team, Great Itinerary, Great Arrangement, Great Experience. Kudos to the entire team. Keep up the good work. Best Regards, Subham and Sreoshi
AR
Email Ayelen | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience!
Finally I found some time to write about my experience.
My boyfriend and I booked a 7 days safari, Masai Mara - Nakuru - Samburu, our guide : David
We stayed 3 days in Masai Mara and they were perfect!!!we got to see all the animals we wanted, Lions giraffes elephants foxes rhinos crocodiles hippos.
The tents were ok, I mean it is not luxury but you could sleep there
After that we went to Nakuru, which is not better that Masai Mara but it was a mandatory stopped between MM and Samburu since its a very long journey.
In Nakuru we saw diifferent types of giraffes elephants and rhinos and falso Flamingos.
Samburu was a whole differente adventure. Just being on the village was an experience, in the park we could see cheetahs leopards and ostriches, besides the giraffes lions and elephants
During the week we algo get to learn some swahili culture and Kenyan history.
We want to highlight the work of David who cared of us and our well-being during the whole trip.
Thanks for a wonderfull experience
Ayelen y Pablo - Argentina
Email Sne Dlamini | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best safari experience by far!
My friend and I booked a 10 day budget safari (Kenya and Tanzania) through Absolute Holiday Safaris. We loved every moment of it! Best value for money. Excellent customer service and we had the best tour guides both on the Kenyan (Zack) and Tanzanian side! Our trip was well executed, they delivered everything that was promised in the itenary. We were able to communicate with the office and ask questions before we even left South Africa to get to Nairobi. We were picked up and dropped at the airport at the beginning and end of our tour. Would definitely recommend this service provider! They are excellent!
Well Done!
I just came back home for our 3-months trip that’s why have late review.
Below are special thanks to their crews:
David; the contact person. He booked additional Nairobi lodging to me at my budget, keep frequencies contacting, and solved my enquiries.
Oukozakaro; the driver-guide. He was able to spot and let us as virgin spectators into various animal adventures (quoted Prat’s wordings). The highlights are:
One lion family (13 lions including lion, lioness and cubs),
One sleeping lioness lying on a treetop,
One sleep cheetah at woods,
One wijd/white rhinoceros family (3 wijds),
More than 10-times of lions (single, twin)
Of course, wildebeest great migration, lion hunting process, leopard and her prey on a tree, cheetahs and their prey and so on, and so on….
Additional review will post in TripAdvisor
CH
Email Christian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Perfect tour operator
We booked two weeks customized privat safari in Kenya and Nairobi. Planning the tour was done within 1 week and everything was perfect, at least for the Kenya part. Unfortunately their partner in Tansania was not good at all (see SandLand Tours reviews), but Absolute Holidays Safari did a very good job. all three shuttle services as planned. David was allways there for questions. If you plan only safari in Kenya, this is the perfect one to ask. If you plan to include Tansania, checked first that the partner is not SandLand Tours. We have advised David to look for a more reliable partner in Tansania. SandLand Tours tried to get more money from us by saying one park fee (300$) was not included and we have to pay. Absolute Holiday Safari gave us back the money within 1 day when they heard the story. David met us on the Airport when arriving and also when coming back to Kenya to get a feedback from us about the tour. There is absolutely nothing to complain about them, except that their partner in Tansania should be kicked in the ass.
US
Email Ben | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stick to Kenya and don't expect great customer service
We had combined 10 day safari in Kenya-Tanzania. Everything was great on the Kenya side. Driver was fine, would answer questions if you asked, but you did have to ask. Accommodations were better than expected with private bathrooms and actual beds in tents. They definitely work to find animals and make the most of the time in the parks.
Tanzania - nothing went right at all. We were supposed to be met by the director Abraham at the bus depot and he was not there. So very confusing getting us to our hotel in Arusha.
Day 2 the driver, George, brought us to Lake Manyara when our itinerary said to go to Serengeti NP. We were dropped off at camp around 430 near the lake, not in the Serengeti. He refused to t call anyone to check on the mix up for us. Basically that it was not his problem and we were stuck.
Day 3 We should have had a full day in Serengeti national park. We did not arrive until 2 or 3pm. George told us breakfast was at 730 and we would leave at 8. . We did not depart until 10am. No one could give us an update on when we would leave. They claimed the delay was due to the chefs. Who produced fried chicken so burnt we couldn’t eat it at lunch. We had our driver changed 3 times that morning. Though Etome ended up as a very good guide. The Serengeti camp ended up being far superior to where we stayed near Manyara
Day 4 The game drive was very good this day though it was only 6 hours not the full day we paid for. We had a brunch and dinner instead of 3 meals. No time on the trip were we given the chance to visit Olduvai gorge and the museum. Also no evening nature walk was offered at the Simba camp.
Day 5 The game drive this morning was very good. However we did not enjoy a picnic lunch in the crater as described. We were driven back to camp to have lunch which was not as scenic. David did meet at at the border for our transfer back to Nairobi airport and did not ask us for additional money when the police pulled over our car and asked for bribes to continue on.
However, he claimed that he would rectify the situation that had happened in Tanzania and we would hear within a week. When we contacted him a week later he said he was still working with his Directors and Abraham in TZ. 2.5 months later and we have never heard from him again. No refund or any other compensation for going to the wrong park and wrong lodging.
Kenya was great but avoid working with the TZ company. They will lie and not stick to the paid for itinerary. And once on the trip you have paid and are stuck going where they bring you. Very disappointing that David appears to communicate greatly until they have your money then they don't care what happened to you.
Email Roger Simmons | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good communication, great animal safari for the budget - but lots of travel and a moving itinerary.
I travelled with my sister on the 12 day safari in Kenya and Tanzania.
David is an excellent communicator, which made booking informative and simple.
Collection from the airport prior to the safari was a nice complimentary service.
When we were collected to pay our itinerary was changed.
Our driver in Kenya, Stanley (Stano), was fantastic. He knew where to go to find the animals and was always happy to pause so we could take photo's. The accommodation in Kenya was varied from very nice to functional. Keep in mind its a budget holiday so manage your expectations on the temperature and volume of water in your shower.
Do take a power bank to recharge your phone - electricity access is variable. I took a solar charger and power bank and didn't need any mains supply.
Minivan transport in Kenya was fun as we shared with 6 other people, who helped make the holiday. The roads are bumpy and some of the driving styles are not what you might normally expect - but its fun.
We did the hot air ballon, which is very expensive for an hour's ride and it is hit and miss what you drift over. The champagne breakfast is also nice and we were glad we took the opportunity.
The transfer from Kenya to Tanzania was lengthy and involved a series of transport changes. The shuttle bus is public transport to Arusha and would have been improved by a dedicated tour operator vehicle.
We were issued a revised itinerary in Tanzania, same places but in a different order - which was fine. It appearered this part of the safari had been subcontracted out to another company. Our booking of tents with bed and bedding was downgraded to tent with mat and blanket. We did ask for the original but when we got to the camp we still got the mat and blanket.
Accommodation in Tanzania was mixed, some very nice and some a basic tent which you take with you on the 4x4.
More great travel mates - 6 of us plus the driver, Gervas - who was excellent and the cook.
The food is mixed but good considering its travelling with you and cooked on site.
The trip back from Arusha to Nairobi is again very long after a long safari, but I must say both companies were very helpful in adjusting our travel arrangements after my sister was unwell and unable to travel.
Overall I would probably just stick with Kenya for safari. I'm not sure adding Tanzania added to what we saw but did significantly add to the travel time. As long as you can go with the bumpy roads and 'flexible' itinerary its a great budget holiday.
CN
Email FU | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience
Due to mailbox problems, it's only two years later to evaluate absolute holiday safaris. It was a great travel agency. The arrangement was perfect. My friends and I felt very happy. I saw a lot of animals, zebras, lions, elephants, giraffes on the prairie. It is completely in line with the imagination of the grassland, and I hope to go again. Thanks to MR. David of Absolute Holiday Safaris for answering the questions in the mail. Thank you driver Peter, thank you for your 8 days of companionship and service.
Email PJSM1956 | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tour operator is good. The fact that they subcontract out the driving/facilitators creates problems.
We got what we paid for, so the following is not a complaint, but information that you may wish to use to improve your experience. Please note: subcontactors/drivers are not usually directly employed by the tour company, so get phone numbers that you can use in each country, and use local SIM cards.
1. Communications can be improved significantly, as we did not have a local telephone number to call when we went from Kenya to Tanzania - the border crossing "facilitator" was hopeless and left us to stand in the sun waiting for a bus we did not personally have tickets for. A local was kind enough to ring the Kenya phone number we had, and the company then verbally kicked the "facilitator" into fixing the issue.
2. The 2WD small vehicles used in Kenya are very uncomfortable for tall people like me (195cm or so), and get bogged easily - pay for an upgrade to 4WD Landcruiser safari vehicle if it is offered at a fair price. 2WD is adequate, incidentally, but expect the driving to be faster on the rough roads than you would expect. There were only 4WD Landcruisers in the Tanzania part of the trip, and they are much nicer, with plenty of head-room when the pop-top roof is open for animal viewing and photographing.
3. Water is supposed to be supplied on safari - it often wasn't in Kenya. I got a dozen bottles of water for myself and my wife, and the other passengers were so thirsty that they nicked most of them. I do not blame the passengers, incidentally. Water in Kenya was a problem, not in Tanzania.
4. Hot water was not often available for showers.
5. "Eco" camps that we used TRIED to do well, and in Kenya were at lease moderately comfortable (with beds) - but did not care that the roof leaked water onto the bed during a storm. The ones in Tanzania were camps (i.e. tents that were not waterproof , sleeping bags that needed fixing and washing, no hot water for showers, oh, and no towels supplied if we decided to have cold shower). Pay for upgrade in Tanzania, please.
6. i.e. Kenya basic cars, adequate accommodation; Tanzania much better cars, terrible accommodation. Even in the Serengeti there are proper hotels near the camps - pay for an upgrade if you hate tents and boring food, trust me. The tour company can juggle just about any request.
7. Finally, some changes were made without our permission, such as the order we saw some parks, and where we were staying or camping. We did, however, go to each and every place we were supposed to see, just out of order a bit.
Overall, I have to say that the tour operators are extremely competent, offer good value for money, and can accommodate almost any changes within reason.
(It was not my first safari, but the camping issues and my age has made it my last, as I am not a kid anymore and I have now seen what I want to see in Africa - don't let this affect you, as I am just commenting. Also 2 fellow travellers were a pain in the arse, complaining again and again about everything from not seeing lions feeding (they mostly rest during the day), to not getting the photos up close that they wanted IMMEDIATELY, wanting to change drivers because he could not arrange for a pair of binoculars to be returned {left, by them, in another vehicle} IMMEDIATELY, and so on. Animals move, so opportunities change, they were carrying a 65x zoom camera so should not be bitching about the photos of animals being too far away. My Nikon and 200mm lens was more than enough, and sometimes we were so close to animals (especially lions) that I had to change to a 18-55mm lens. I got photos of everything from lions in trees, leopards, cheetah, spotted hyenas, all sorts of herbivores imaginable, flamingos (2 types, up close) and more. In fact I photographed even more variety of animals than I expected (and expectations were high), and was simply blown away by the Serengeti migration. The animal numbers are simply staggering over a vast area. Seeing Kilimanjaro is fantastic, as was the photographs of elephants with Kilimanjaro in the background. Good trip, recommended highly, and my comments are just for your information should you want to do a similar 2 week Kenya/Tanzania budget trip.