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
IN
Email Himanshu | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was an experience in itself, we really enjoyed. visit was worth every penny..........
i visited masaimara alongwith 3 of my colleagues, we enjoyed every bit of the trip. it was an experience in itself. iam planning to visit again next year with my family members.
Overall an excellent trip by safari bookings, well coordinated and well planned, worth every penny. a lifetime experience.
keep it up the good work .
MY
Email Elmy Ismail | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari Trip!
Absolutely awesome & excellent! David from Absolute Holiday Safaris is very helpful, he answered all my question in professional way (one of the reason why I choose Absolute Holiday Safaris). During the safari trip, Jackson (driver) always try his best to give my group (5 adult + 1 children) the best view to see all the Big 5. He is very helpful and always on time to ensure we always on track and follow the schedule.
David also help me to buy train ticket from Nairobi to Mombasa at no extra charges (some website might charge you $20 fee). He also help me sending driver & communicate with bus driver (during my trip back from Mombasa to Nairobi) to ensure I did not miss the flight!
Thank you for the hospitality and the great experience! Strongly recommended to all...
CZ
Email Richard | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Wildebeest Migration in Kenya -- Dream Coming True
I have booked my 5-day Kenya budget joining group safari with Absolute Holiday Safaris in advance before departing from Europe. The manager - David - was able to reply promptly to my e-mails and tailored our trip according to our needs.
First we visited Masai Mara NP. It was absolutely amazing (recommendation: have at least 3 days for Masai Mara in your schedule and make sure there's an early morning game drive included).
Later we moved to Amboseli NP as we continued to Tanzania via Namanga border crossing.
The number of fellow-travellers in a van varied -- first day it was 7 of us, the next two days 5 and the last two days we could've called it a "private" safari.
Ratings:
Booking process/communication: 10/10.
Safari organization/logistics: 9/10.
Driver/guide: 10/10. Nicknamed "Animal", he was on the radio with his colleagues all the time, not missing any important event in the savannah.
Vehicle: 6/10. Pop-up roof minivan, not even 4WD. Rough times on unpaved roads.
Sleeping: 9/10. Permanent tents with beddings, shower and toilet. You should bring your own mosquito net.
Food: 5/10. Lunch boxes OK. Avoid eating any "meat" in the camps. As a bonus we got diarrhea on the very last day. Don't forget to buy enough water before your safari starts.
Number and variety of animals seen: 10/10. We managed to see the Great Wildebeest Migration.
Overall African experience: 9/10
FYI: Be aware in Kenya they don't accept US dollar bills issued 10 or more years ago! If you try to use them to pay for anything (your safari, bus ticket, in currency exchange) they're gonna tell you it's a fake money. Experienced this behavior multiple-times.
This was my first time in Africa and I consider it my best vaccation ever. I can recommend Absolute Holiday Safaris to all of you.
If you're interested please see my pictures from the trip: https://goo.gl/photos/4zfekxXzufmwQWT3A
SE
Email Markus Jonsson | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
If adventure, excitement and service would be a company it should be named Absolute Holiday Safaris.
Our driver Carlos did an excellent job by showing us the impressive wildlife in Kenya. The trip got off to a perfect start when Carlos greeted us at Jomo Kenyatta Airport with a big smile. We saw everything that you should see during a Safari and that is all thanks to Carlos, his knowledge made it possible for us to get up close to some of the worlds most amazing animals.
SE
Email Erik Englund | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent, professional and probably the best Guide (Carlos) ever.
The best three days in a long time. Felt like everything happend at the same time and the whole time. Carlos took good care of us during these three days and everything was just great.
US
Email sheba | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome tour guide makes for an astounding safari!
I think our Safari was amazing!! they accommodated all our needs even when our group was a pain in the butt at times. Sorry guys!! David was quite the gentleman- helping us situate everything and waiting for us to get food and other necessities that were needed!! The team we were working with was great too. Everybody during our safari was soooooo helpful; we couldn't have asked for a better crew who became friends and felt like family on our trip;which made it more enjoyable!
CA
Email Gini | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 days and 2 nights in the Mara
First off, I am a solo female traveller in my early 30s. That being said, I was nervous about doing such a trip in an unfamiliar place alone.
From the moment I arrived at the offices in Nairobi, David gave me a description of what to expect and made me feel welcomed. We waited for the other members of our group arrive (which took less than an hour) and then we were off to the Mara. Our driver, Stanley, was spectacular - he knew a lot and was a skilled driver (half way to the Mara the road isn't paved). Most long car rides to places are tiring but this was not - you get to see more of Kenya and its landscape than what is just in Nairobi.
Once at the camp, we were all taken to our rooms so that we could freshen up and then head out for the afternoon drive. The drive was unlike anything else I've ever seen. I've travelled a lot and to various parts of the world but this was unique. We saw many animals and birds.
The whole experience was wonderful. I feel those that don't enjoy it are going into this expecting luxury. But why would you want luxury in an environment like that? Don't you want to experience the natural beauty in as much of an authentic way as possible?
The worst part of the tour was the handful of people who complained they couldn't get wifi and so on and also complained they couldn't get close enough to the animals and so on. There were many of us that loved all of it - travel is a privilege, many do not get the opportunity so stop complaining and enjoy what is there. For the price, what we get is excellent: you get a safe mode of transport, good accommodations, knowledgeable and helpful staff that are do their best with what they have at their disposal.
Since being back in Canada, I have not only recommended that people go on a more camping style safari but also with Absolute.
Thank you again David and Stanley. Your hard work is appreciated!
DK
Email Jackie Rasmussen | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best budget safari our family could have
Thank you!!!! - says the family from Denmark!
My family and I had the best budget safari in Maasai Mare, Amboseli (Nakuru was disappointing no flamingos, but many rhino)
David is as everybody write very quick on mails and he is very friendly and extremely helpfull in real life to :-)
The budget tent camp was very fine in Maasai Mara, bit more "rustic" in Ambolseli - but it worked fine.
Patric our driver was a very good driver, and told us a lot about the animals, and had an answer to all our questions.
We were a Danish family who found this company on the Internet, took the chance by the reviews and that's why I write this..... You can count on these people! They handle all were well:
Pick up in airport
Hotel in Nairobi (budget, but ok)
Tours in Nairobi with Bon'fiss a nice young driver, who drove us round town.
I highly recommend this company!
Email Yash Agrawal | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best Tour Operator & Safaris for Masai Mara
As suggested by number of colleagues that Absolute Holiday Safaris was one of the best i first emailed David our plan - immediately I got a response with the detailed itinerary. We were travelling from DRC to Uganda to Kenya and then moving ahead to Tanzania. If you plan to do this route with the Masai safari, this tour operator is the one you have been looking for. David, the owner, gave us John Wanjau as the guide, locally known as the AniMal for he knows the jungle like the back of his hand and he will show you all the animals and places like nobody else.
The company helped us for our tours ahead with no extra cost - looking after minutest details. David is available on Whats app for any requirement one can have. Should you need to travel to Kiliminjaro, Zanzibar or other places in the continent, David's network is as reliable as himself and I would trust them as much as I trust him.
Definitely somebody you should contact for all your trips in Africa...
Thanks Absolute Holiday Safaris, we all had a lovely time. Looking forward for our next visits.
US
Email Annika | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience varies with drivers/itineraries
I booked with Absolute Holiday Safaris based on price and the superb, friendly communication with David prior to traveling. I was so happy that David really is as kind and genuine as he seems through email! I was very pleased to meet him in Nairobi.
I booked 8-day safari: Maasai Mara, Nakuru, Naivasha, Amboseli. We began the trip with John AKA Animal for 3 days in Maasai Mara, and learned from other passengers that he is one of the best drivers. He was very knowledgeable about the animals, and very professional. Sadly, we only had him for 3 days and were bounced to 4 other drivers for the rest of the trip.
The other drivers were Sammy and Stanley. Neither of them was at the same level with Animal. They both sped in the parks, and Sammy actually almost hit 3 zebra (I was riding in the front seat and was horrified). There was also a small child in the back seat who was bouncing around and flying off the seat. Both Sammy and Stanley were on their radios talking and laughing (presumably not about animals, since we weren't really seeing much...) the whole day and it ruined the peace of the experience.
We were also abandoned one morning in Hell's Gate National Park. We were to be picked up at 10:30AM and were not picked until around 1PM due to miscommunications within the company. We luckily had David's business card on hand and the kind women working at the park let us call David several times until we were picked from the park. Other changes were: switching hotels in Nakuru with no notice, changing our itinerary around during the trip itself. We never got offered a boat ride at either Lake Nakuru or Lake Naivasha, and we missed one morning's game drive in Maasai Mara which was on the itinerary.
The overall experience was wonderful; I love Kenya and want to come back already! However, I would book with this company again only with guarantee of a great driver (Animal) for the entire trip. Now that I have more awareness of how things work I would try to lock things down a bit more.