US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Jambo -- you will love this vacation!
The most beautiful things in the world can't be seen, you feel them. This truly sums up our expericece with Kenya Walking tours this past July. During our entire excursion, we were awed, amazed, pampered, trusted, guided, assisted and cared for to make our trip one unbelievable experience.
From our arrival in Nairobi to our final departure over 2 weeks later, we never once had cause to question our decision to travel on safari, especially with our new friends, KWSS. Our driver and guide for our time in Kenya was the amazing Anthony. His attentiveness to our needs was second to none. He was punctual, helpful and always cared for our safety (with the vehicle and on safari). He really made our trip unforgettable. When you are with someone 24/7 for 10 days you need to connect and with Anthony we absolutely did so. We talked about families and life most of the time when traveling. As a great treat to us, we passed through Anthony's hometown and were able to meet his wife and endearing son, Ryan.
In Tanzania we were met at the border by another guide who continued our terrific experience. Abbass made sure that we maintained our successful journey. He always allowed us to modify our day as we wanted (more time for shopping for the ladies!). His patience with us and knowledge of the parks was remarkable.
We noticed that in the evenings at the lodges, most of the drivers/guides met up with and ate with other safari drivers....ours did not--they always spent time with us and had a Tusker as well. This was wonderful! We knew then we had the best guides!
The hotels/lodges that we stayed in were wonderful. We did not want luxurious accommodations but requested places that were close to the animals. Our wants were completely met with great places to stay in the evenings. Every person at every accommodation were so friendly. Again, the great people made the difference!
As we were in the planning and preparation stage, our host, OT was so accommodating to our wants and needs. We knew specific parks and areas that we wanted to visit and he custom built a vacation that would top anyone's bucket list. He worked exceptionally hard to keep us within our budget without compromising the experiences. Communication with OT was great...he always responded to my queries in short order--even given the 7 hour time difference.
We only splurged on the hot air balloon ride over the Maasi Mara---with absolutely no regret. We were all completely awestruck and could not settle our emotions while we ate a champagne breakfast in the bush with our pilot. Words again are not enough for the feelings.
I can not recommend KWSS highly enough. They made our once-in-a-lifetime experience unforgettable and so much more than we could have expected. We are already planning a return trip. If you are questioning wether or not to go on safari, contact me and I will make sure that you do not let this opportunity pass you by.
We noticed many other companies while on safari, but KWSS is not the biggest, but from our experience they are the best.
HK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It simply couldn't be better!!
From the day I contacted Matoke Tours, they always replied me swiftly and with a very high level of professionalism. I am not used to book and pay on line so I really had to feel that Matoke was totally trustworthy. Matoke was able to answer all my questions in a very efficient way. The best was to come: the trip itself. We were lucky because I believe we had an exceptional driver (his name is Abdallah). He was always on time, drove safely, checked some roads beforehand to guarantee we would always be on time. Cherry on the cake, he is not only a very responsible and committed guide but he is also very interesting and entertaining. We managed to see a Leopard in QENP, we managed to see the Gorillas in Bwindi, actually see is not the right word...we were actually sitting two metres away enjoying an amazing moment. We explored Western Uganda to its fullest but in a very comfortable way. With Matoke Tours, it was simply all about enjoying the trip with no organisation hassle! We want to thank Matoke Tours for this trip of a lifetime. Webale nyo! Weraba!
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience of Kenyan culture and nature
I used Bushthorns Adventure three time during my trip to Kenya and was very happy with the excursions. They offer good value for money, and friendly service. I feel they are reliable and easy to work with. Going back to Kenya I have no hesitation to use their services again and I can recomend others to do the same.
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing & well-organised adventure in Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro
Last month we experienced incredible adventure on Safari. It was a joined trip operated by Sandland Tours and Safaris organized by Shabani from African Travel Tour (they are sister companies as far as I'm concerned).
We spent 5 days and 4 nights on the Safari itself. Shabani was very responsive and helpful prior to the trip, he checked the bus from Nairobi for us and picked us up from the bus stop. Outstanding service. Our two nights before and after the Safari were included in the total price. We had to pay $20 for the Arusha airport transfer what was extremely expensive for that distance but that probably compensated for something else.
Safari was amazing, we had the best driver/guide (Eric) and cook (Mr Bean) you could imagine. Thanks to Eric we were always in the best spot to see the animals, even if there were 20 cars at the same time. He just knew where he was going - I talked to many people at the picnic areas and looked like we were the only ones to see some of the rare animals. In addition, he was talkative and had a great sense of humour so it was a real pleasure to spend time with him. Mr Bean cooked the best food ever and I really mean it because my husband who never eats fish was getting 3 helpings of delicious tilapia stew. The soup was so good that all of us were having a refill everyday. I was even asking for the recipe!
The trip was well-organised, I felt like we got the most of it. We were leaving early for the sunrise game drives and coming back as late as possible. We booked budget safari but our first 2 nights were upgraded to tented lodges with private bathrooms. That really exceeded our expectations and was a very nice surprise. We spent the other 2 nights in public campsites but the tents were very good quality, the mattresses and sleeping bags were also provided. The only inconvenience was that our backpack got dirty in the car. It was covered in oil and diesel and some of our clothes were in stains. We were really disappointed but the trip overall was so good that it compensated this mess :-) It was really hard to say goodbye in the end of the trip.
CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic safari booked by Pembury Tours!
This was my first time in South Africa and first safari. I was traveling alone, therefore needed good advice and planning. Laurette at Pembury Tours did a fabulous job providing me with a perfect itinerary. We communicated via emails several times and she patiently replied to all of my inquiries. She listened and respected my needs and most importantly respected my budget!!. The safari was an out of this world esperience; accomodations were fantastic, as were staff, rangers, trackers, food and locations. Transfers from airport and or lodges went smootly. Drivers super friendly and on time. I travel a lot and this trip is the most memorable one I got to do!! Thank you Laurette at Pembury Tours! I will most definitely contact you again for my next safari!
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
do it!
After a lot of research we choose to go with this company - and we did not regret it!
We were picked up at the hostel by Naphtally, who really made us feel welcome. He really took care of us;)
You get exactly what you payed for at this company. We went at the camping/budget tour with a great driver (Charles) and had an awesome tour. Accommodation and food was really nice compared to the price.
We can only give our best recommendation!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Best Vacation Ever!
We did a 14 day camping safari with Anthony back in August of 2011; our children were 6 & 9 at the time and the entire vacation, from beginning to end was totally and utterly mind blowing. This was our first trip to Africa and Anthony did a tremendous job in every aspect of our holiday. He is very knowledgable and was a fabulous guide for our family; he was very patient answering all our questions about the animals, vegetations, environment, geology, culture etc. Anthony always made sure we were comfortable and happy and very well fed during our trip. Our safari was indeed a trip of a lifetime for us and it FAR exceeded our expectations. We would do it all again in a heartbeat and wouldn't look elsewhere for a guide; Anthony was the best!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
overall experience was very good
we are a family of four ( 2 adults and 2 children)and first thought of going to Kenya in June 2016 when, after searching online, I came across this company and contacted them first via email and subsequently via whatsapp. David, company owner, is extremely helpful and was always very quick to reply to any emails/whats app messages that I sent. I called him via what app several times asking for advice and guidance and he was always very polite and professional and gave me all the necessary information.
We took 5 days tours (Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha) in August 2016 (started on 8th Aug) and as planned David sent a driver to pick us up direct from Nairobi airport at 8 am. The tour was all good although the lunch on day 1 on the way to Masai Mara was in Narok in a restaurant called Dream something (I cant remember the full name but the first world was Dream) and the food here was not good at all with rather poor hygiene and we hardy ate anything as we did not want to risk our health on first day of our trip.
The tent accommodation in Masai Mara was excellent and food was freshly cooked with good choices (we are all vegetarian). The accommodation in Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha was of reasonably good quality and they offered us good vegetarian food.
One problem we had was that in Masai Mara they merged us with another group of tourists in the same van who were going to take ballon safari on the last day which meant that we had to wait an extra 3 hours for them in Masai Mara on the last day of our Masai mara tour which would have meant a very late arrival to Lake Nakuru as travel time from Masai Mara to Lake Nakuru is good 7-8 hours. However after we made some noises and after some arguments they finally made arrangements for us to depart from Masai Mara at 9 am (otherwise we would have had to wait until 12 noon for other group to arrive from their ballon safari).
Driver Ben was very quite and did not give us much of the information other than telling us few things when asked directly.
Other than this small hitch, everything else was excellent. I will certainly recommend taking Lake Nakuru and Lake Naivasha. Although you see many of the same animals in Lake Nakuru but the ambience is very good. Its a proper national park and well looked after. There were no flamingoes there when we visited. The gorge in Hell National Park is definitely worth seeing and boat ride in Lake Naivasha should certainly be done (we negotiated a price of $50 for the boat).
We were picked up and dropped back at the Nairobi airport which was very convenient and meant that we did not need to go to Nairobi town. We flew from Nairobi to Mombasa and David even arranged a taxi for us at the Mombasa airport to take us to diani beach at a reasonable price ($40).
Overall, I will highly recommend Absolute Safari. David is very reliable and highly professional. I will give them a 5 star rating for making our tour so memorable.
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great fun! Amazing experience!
Everything went really smoothly. From dealing with Tom Ocharo in Nairobi, to the driver, the van and the camp. I did a Masai Mara + Nakuru 4 day in total safari, so I had to change van and driver, as the first group I was with were returning to Nairobi after visiting Masai Mara. The drivers coordinated really well though, so things were smooth. In terms of the Safari itself, I got to seeing many wild animals, and all but the elephant out of the big 5. That just boils down to a question of luck I guess, because our driver was really good and really did his best to get us to see as much as possible. Overall, for a budget Safari starting from Narirobi, I strongly recommend this one.
PH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Prompt Response and Good, Trustworthy Service - What more can you ask for!
If you are a first-timer in Africa, or in a safari trip and you need a person to attend to your needs immediately and without any hesitation, Dickson is your guy! This man is someone you can totally trust. This company is legit and will definitely give you what they have promised. They can tailor-fit your itinerary based on your schedule and budget. These guys are a one-stop shop for everything Africa you need.
The entire staff of Adventure Africa Expedition are all very articulate, helpful and warm. Though some services need a bit of refinement (i.e. the van we rode to the safari is a bit shabby now), they're all still very forgivable. The service of the staff is remarkable and worth praising.
Will definitely book my trip with AAE very soon!