Alliance Destinations - Kenya
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2011)
- Tour Types:
- Custom mid-range & luxury tours that can start every day
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $150 to $1,000 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
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Email Justin | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great Safari but Problematic Management
The safari, in and of itself, was great. Our accommodations were good, our driver/guide George was fantastic, and the parks were unbelievable. The only negative about the safari itself was there was too much driving -- no matter what company you use you should confirm driving times before signing up.
My gripe is with how our safari was managed:
1 -- The order of parks that we visited was switched last minute and without my approval. I found this out after I sat down in the jeep on the first day. This is totally unacceptable. James and I even discussed this option months before and decided against it. This is bordering on breach of contract.
2 -- James's communication left something to be desired. At first, James was super prompt, always responding within a day. As we closed in on the trip, he took multiple days to reply to different questions, and when I asked the name of our driver he didn't bother replying. This all left me sketched out and worried that we were being scammed.
There's too many safari operators out there to bother with a company like this one...
Reply from Alliance Destinations - Kenya
Posted on Jul 19, 2019Jambo Jruby19 and thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. Please accept my sincere apology once again for not informing you when we changed the start/end order of the safari that saw you start the safari in reverse. We had the advance groups of the Wildebeest migration approaching the Masai Mara reserve and we had hoped that the change would see you in the Masai Mara in time for some action. It's pleasing to hear that despite the changes you had a wonderful time on safari with our guide George. We hope that you will visit again and allow us to exceed your expectations.
Email Caroline & Chris | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing trip
Right from the start James responded very quickly and was very helpful. He took on board our request and suggested the best plan for our safari. We stayed 2 nights in the Masai Mara, 2 nights in Lake Nakuru and 1/2 day around Nairobi. Up to a day before our departure, James was still answering our last minute queries and panics!
Once we arrived in Nairobi, John our guide for the next 5 days was there waiting for us and explained step by step what was going to happen for the following day. He was very patient, extremely knowledgeable with the animals, birds and Kenyan culture. All along we felt really safe and knew what was happening.
We celebrated our 20th Anniversary, this will be a trip to remember and I would definitely come back here and choose Alliance Destinations without any hesitation. They might have less review than other companies, they are slightly smaller but I am glad I followed my heart an de pick them. Thank you
US
Email Yvonne Joosten | 65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Best ever, James did a perfect job, great driver, vehicle, accomodation was perfect
everything was awesome, communication with him and his service was great, we would travel with him again.
Email Kaushik Bhattacharyya | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Experience of a lifetime
This safari exceeded all expectation and was a dream come true for us. Travelling 1st time to Kenya for a short duration and arranging for a safari to cover everything we want seemed like a daunting task. But things were really smooth as soon as we got in touch with James from Alliance destinations. He gave us plenty of options of itineraries tailored to our requirements. All of our requests, last moment changes were never a problem. Our driver and guide Patrick was very knowledgeable gentleman, and we learned a lot from him about Kenya along with enjoying the safari. We felt safe, pampered and looked after all along. James even went out of the way and was in touch with us throughout the holiday even before and after the safari was over, guiding us and providing all possible advice, without expecting anything in return.
Thank you alliance!
Hakuna Matata
Email Theresa Morgan | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
'An Authentic, Memorable Safari'
My husband and I were on a 6-day safari in Amboseli, Lake Nakuru National Park, and Masai Mara. Right from the booking process, pick up at the airport, accommodations recommended, to the safari itself, Alliance Destinations team paid excellent attention to details which resulted in an overall pleasant experience. We got to see the 'Big Five'& lots of other wildlife, visited a local Masai Village near Amboseli park, made some wonderful friends and memories to last a lifetime! We are definitely coming back to explore the rest of the parks and the Kenyan coast of course through Alliance Destinations.
Email Scott Doe | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very enjoyable experience!
Schedule followed as agreed without any stress.
During the preparation of the tour the company agreed to add the Karen Blixen museum upon my request (nice flexibility).
Driver-guide agreed at the end to drop me at the National museum instead of the hotel, and this was very helpful.
CN
Email Leo | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing safari
Six of us had an amazing trip with them. Elizabeth is great. She helped us solve all the problems. Martin and Bonny are very good drivers and guides, reflecting conscientious professionalism. We saw many animals, including big 5. In a word, thank them very much.
AR
Email Andrea & Mario | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Superb experience with Alliance!
We chose Alliance Destinations because James was the one who first answered us, very willing to accommodate the trip to our needs: concretely, start it in Nairobi and finish it in Mombasa (instead of going back to Nairobi) and quickly find an international flight that would allow us to get to Nairobi and return from Mombasa. In turn, that would allow to make beach on the coast on our own, which was the intention.
James was always attentive, quickly answering our e-mails. We were able to make the reservation without any inconvenience.
He and our guide and driver on the safari that would begin only two days later, Gerard, were waiting for us at the Nairobi airport. They took us to our hotel and there we closed not only the balance of our safari but we decided to contract with them one day in the Nairobi National Park, plus the visit to the elephant orphanage and the center of giraffes. It was an unforgettable day, already with Gerard, and we highly recommend this tour.
And what about the safari itself, everything was perfect and far beyond our expectations. We stayed 2 nights in Masai Mara, 1 night in Lake Nakuru and 2 nights in Amboseli. The Masai Mara camp is spectacular (Ashnil Camp); the other accommodations, not so much, but very well, especially comfortable, clean and with very good food.
Masai Mara is directly unmissable. Gerard was always willing, pending our tastes and interests. Anyone would say that it maintains the enthusiasm of a first day. He loves his country and his work, he knows a lot about animals and the places he visits. He is a very prudent driver (in fact, he was excellent in two dangerous situations created by other truck drivers).
We can not remember how many animals we saw: lions, lionesses, cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes (many!), Ñuls, gazelles of various types, topis, zebras, elephants (thousands of elephants in Amboseli), buffaloes, ostriches, rhinos, hippos, crocodiles, birds of all kinds ... Gerard was always attentive and did everything excellently well.
You can not miss the balloon flight ... a unique experience that is well worth the many dollars it costs. Excellent Casey, the pilot of Hot Air Safaris.
The stretches between parks are long and tiring, but very instructive. If you want to get to know Africa and its people, there is no better way than observing their villages, their inhabitants, their routes, the places where they live and how they live ... Spectacular.
Lake Nakuru is a bit decadent since the flood deprived them of their most important attraction, the flamingos. However, it was there that we saw more and better the zebras and where we could get off, well guarded by park rangers, and get closer to the zebras and the flamingos that remain in the lake. Beautiful.
Amboseli is a paradise for elephant lovers. There are thousands (literal). It is unmissable. Here James joined us on safari, with his good comments and good company.
At the end, two surprises bonus track: a visit to a Masai community, emotional and unforgettable, and another to the elephant with the biggest tusks ...
We have no words to thank the efficiency, work and love of Gerard and James. We strongly recommend Alliance Destinations.
AE
Email Vijay Joel | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
1 week/3 Parks with Young Children
Alliance Destinations were prompt and reliable. They were able to customize my travel/accommodation options. Their services met all expectations and the driver/guide (Antony) was pleasant and patient. He was quite knowledgeable and knew the interesting spots around the parks.
Elizabeth from the office desk managed the whole itinerary well and overall was a very memorable time.
IT
Email Eleonora Iugoli | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
AMAZING SAFARI!
Alliance Destinations made our trip simply unforgettable!
The first positive remark regards the pre-arrival organization: James was very helpful and answered quickly to all of our requests and questions.
We decided to do a 6-days Safari, implying an hard work for the driver: we started with Masai Mara, then Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, Amboseli, Tsavo West and we finished our trip with Alliance in Watamu.
Our driver Kennedy was excellent: he has an incredible knowledge of the parks, animals and places, he was very kind and extremely professional. We had such a great time during our safaris, everything was perfect: I will never forget this trip!