FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We did travel by bus from Arusha to Mt Kenya. Great experience with Isaack. Good Organization
We did climb mount Kenya. So amazing. Very good staff. Excellent food. I did love it
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome Safari with Khanga!
Short Version:
Our Safari with Khanga was really great and we did enjoy it a lot. We can totally recommend them as your Partner for a Safari in Kenya.
Long Version:
It was our very first stay in Africa and our first Safari as well.
We saw the "Big Five" within 3 days and so much more (unfortunately the Leopard just showed us his beautiful back) ;-)
The communication before we started was really great and we sent a lot of mails with questions who would be answered immediately and with great expertise by Lawrence.
Our driver Steve was very experienced (20+ years as a driver / guide) and told us a lot about the different animals and the country in general. What we really liked about him was that he also did not that much chit-chat and let us enjoy and soak up the beautiful landscapes and wildlife of Kenya.
Steve always rushed us to the best locations when new animal sightings came in over the radio and we spotted so many animals by ourselves.
We always felt very safe with him, regardless if we where driving in the city, on some dirtroads in the National Parks or on the Highway (there was a lot of crazy traffic sometimes).
The different accommodations felt sometimes a little bit outdated (Tsavo East and Tsavo West) but where always at a great location with a amazing view. We enjoyed our stay at the Jacaranda Elementatita Lodge near Lake Nakuru the most - an incredible beautiful place. The tents at Masai Mara and Amboseli where a lot more comfortable than we imagined them in advance.
We did a 7 day Safari and started at Nairobi, then went to Masai Mara for two nights, then up to Lake Nakuru and Lake Navaisha for one night. Then we drove to Amboseli for one night and then to Tsavo West for one night and Tsavo East for the last night.
All locations where beautiful in their own way.
At the end we where dropped off at Mombasa where Khanga organized a rental car for us for the next 11 days, where we drove up and down the coast from Diani up to Malindi and then down to Mombasa. At first we got the wrong car (smaller than agreed), but in the end we got another car after some days and it all worked out pretty good.
Unfortunately the Safari is over, but the 7 days went by in a Flash.
Thanks again to the Khanga Team, especially to Lawrence and Steve for making this trip to Kenya an unforgettable and awesome experience for me and my girlfriend. We can totally recommend them as your partner for a Safari in Kenya.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice safari, hotels and guide !
My mom and I really appreciated our safari with Godson who speaks an excellent french. We saw a lot of animals since the guide was always in contact with the other guides. Hotels were comfortable and food was nice.
US
20-35 years of age
Beautiful Mountain on its Way to Ruin
Mt. Kilimanjaro is, needless to say, a pretty unique place on earth. Unfortunately, Tanzania runs it more like an amusement park than a place to be revered for its national beauty.
As the camps get more crowded closer to the summit (the trails merge) they get progressively worse. Tour companies do not treat the place very well. Trash is abundant around all the campsites, and the vegetation is trampled/abused all around, I suspect, not by the toursists themselves, but by the 3+ crew members typically accompanying each tourist.
Most disappointingly, human waste policies are almost non existent or just not followed (no bathroom business within 50m of a trail, for example.) Outside of camps, every few minutes, you will pass a spot that smells like the national pee-corner, or a spot with enough used toilet paper to cover a kitchen table. Really detrimental to encounter this so frequently in a place that I'd hope to see as pristine as possible.
Unfortunately, the camp toilets are not much better. In a year of living in Tanzania, the large public toilets with tile floors are the worst smelling restrooms I have encountered anywhere in this country, and of any public park anywhere in the world. The small wooden ones over a pit are pretty standard bush toilets, so they're ok.
I realize that this sounds like a prissy white guy from a developed country has his panties in a bunch because things aren't squeaky clean in Africa, but I relish the "roughing it" experience one can find camping or traveling in less-developed parts of the world. I'm no stranger to gross or inadequate toilets, but I was pretty disappointed in what I encountered in such a world-famous park that supposedly hosts luxury trips. Nothing luxurious about stepping over human feces on your way up the mountain (literally happened).
These two things (trash and sanitation) really deflated my experience of an otherwise incredible trip. The company I went with did everything in their power to make it fantastic, and its sad that my only grievances are with the park itself. The ecosystems you pass through and the views from some of the camps are stunning, and 19,341 feet does feel pretty cool.
But its absolutely not worth paying Tanzanian Natl Parks the fee they extort from visitors for a park that's so poorly maintained. You could have an unreal three week vacation in SE Asia for the same money, without (ideally) hiking through a sewer. If you're dead set on climbing a mountain in TZ though - Mt. Meru is incredible and Mt. Hanang is really cool too. Cost you about 1/6 the money for Meru, Hanang less than $100. Kilimanjaro, is unfortunately, overrated.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Experience and professionalism; punctuality, accuracy, friendly; expert travel advice; exceptional!
From start to finish, this was the best travel experience I have had (and I've been to 63 countries and on two previous African safaris). Communication via e-mail was virtually instantaneous and everything on the safari was delivered exactly as arranged for. Not to mention, the safari itself was superb! Ute at Roho Ya Chui is an absolutely amazing, organized, and dedicated professional who truly made this safari the wonderful expedition that it was. All I can say is, thank-you Ute!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
So many animals, such great food!
Great service, great safari. Not really a fan of tent camping but the cook was amazing!
QA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing experience from start to finish with our guide Hilary
We could not have asked for a better and more knowledgeable guide than Hilary. He scouted out hard to find animals and really knew what he was doing. He is also a very delightful young man with a great sense of humor! I highly recommend going on safari with Hilary!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
6 star if possible!
Axis and particularly Lennox and James were amazing from the start. Lennox was very forthcoming with any information requested and kept us up to date with all the necessary information required for the tour. James, our driver of the safari, was absolutely incredible from start to finish, going the extra mile to make our experience the best we could have in our short trip. In the four days through James' expertise we were able to see the big five as well as, some unforgettable moments such as; cheetahs taking down their prey, lions feeding their young and finding an elusive white rhino.
Accommodation was of a high standard, we didn't expect five star luxury, but this is a safari anyway. We stayed in tents with beds and private bathrooms (with hot water) which is more than we expected. On our last night we stayed in a hotel with a swimming pool. Food was of a good standards. I hope you like lentils and meat!
Overall, we were very happy with the tour and couldn't recommend Axis enough. Lennox went above and beyond to help us book our train tickets to Mombasa as we were on tour and ensured we got back to our hotel safely.
In summary, Axis Safari made our safari experience special and we couldn't recommend them enough. It was worth every penny!