35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Recommended!
After checking a few reviews online I decided to get in touch with best memory safaris to book our holiday of a lifetime. From my initial contact with Isaac (owner) to the run up to our departure date, best memory were very accomodating, from answering questions to working the package around us. I explained what we were looking for (1 week safari, 1 week beach) and Isaac came up with the perfect itinerary. He was more than happy to find us alternatives to parts of the itinerary that we weren't happy with and was always quick to reply. We arrived in Nairobi after which we were to start the safari the following day. We were picked up (though late) by Steve who was to be our driver/ guide for the week at which point we also met Isaac. Lovely friendly guys. We had the most remarkable experiences of our lives during the first week of the safari's. The accomodation that Isaac had arranged was beyond what we were expecting and overall we had a wonderful experience which will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Steve was pleasant throughout our trip and let us enjoy our time without us feeling we had a third person with us. Though I wish he was a little more enthusiastic, as were we, about the trip and experiences, especially coming to the end of the safari week. We started the second week in Mombasa and again were not disappointed with our choice of hotel. We had a wonderful stay and a lovely experience dealing with Isaac and Best memory safaris as a whole and would definitely recommend to others.
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good experience with the tour. We saw everything we wanted every animals...
The operator was very helpful and always wanted us having the best time as possible. We saw every animals we wanted. Guide was very nice and also helped us for seeing every animals. They were also at the airport when we arrived very early to avoid us waiting ans losing time. We had a very good time. thank you
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
OUR GUIDE THOMAS
Recently my spouse and I undertook a trip to the Maasai Mara in Kenya. We had a very warm welcome at the Nairobi Airport , driven to our hotel and pickled up the next morning.
We where then introduced to our tour guide and general factotum , Thomas Nudunda Kioko , who was to be our guide , mentor and all round advisor for the duration of our stay.
On the first day of our visit to the Maasai Mara , Tom dropped us off at the hotel and picked us up an hour later to take the group on an evening drive. I ( we ) thought well this was going to be just another game drive , but to our surprise Tom showed us 4 out of the BIG 5 in the Mara within an hour of our afternoon game drive.
It became quite evident that over the next few days which the group spent with Tom was going to be something out of the ordinary and special.
His knowledge of the Flora and Fauna ( check spelling ) was to say the least , very exceptional. He spoke with authority on the various animals on their way they hunted and ate amongst the many other bits of information that one could only glean from a textbook or a learned professor at a university. He always made our tour as pleasant and comfortable as possible . The manner in which he handled the vehicle was a sheer delight, something that I've never seen before. We are truly thankful for his insight into the animal world and for making our stay so enjoyable and pleasant.
A real asset to his company and to the Kenyan people as a whole.... well done Tom and hope that you prosper in the years to come and continue with your good communication skills .
We would whole heartedly recommend Thomas Ndunga Kioko to anyone wishing to get a very knowledgeable tour guide.
His contact details are :
Cellphone +254 722 751 268
Email : [email protected]
All the best,
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
" PERFECT BUDGET SAFARI
My husband and i first time at Kenya safari operated by Twinkle Star Tours . Our guide/ Driver by young men name Jeffrey , he was Excellent , and knowledgeable in his work . We very much enyoy it , and we looking forward on next trip soon with you.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent...,an experience that would wish once more ,motivating and aspiring to majorities. Fantast
Convincing, welcoming, educative and also supportive in any way out...a great pleasure
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tom the tour guide was a legend! - amazing experience, good value for money!
Communications:
The communication was very good! Our agent responded very quickly and answered all of our questions. Also, the agent was very flexible about the payment and met us at an agreed-upon destination to collect a deposit, which saved us a lot of effort. We paid the remaining amount upon arrival. Great!
Service:
The service was satisfying. We got picked up at our hotel (even though they were a bit late). We arrived in time at the Masai Mara and had a very nice chat with our fellow travelers on the bus. Another big benefit was that not all seats on the safari van were taken which was splendid if you are a dutch boi with long legs (or any other national with long legs). At our arrival at the camp, we were served lunch, which was really tasty and then rested for an hour after. Then we headed out for an evening safari, which was an amazing experience. However, it was much shorter than described in the description and we spent a long time waiting to be granted entrance to the park. Dinner was also very nice, however, there were not many veggy options.
The second day was a full day game drive. It was amazing! We saw long bois, bouncy bois, bity bois, sleepy bois, many stripy bois and emo bois. We also saw parts of the great migration! It was great and was a dream come true. We also went to Tanzania for a photo stop, so I can cross that country off my bucket list ;-).
On the third and last day, we headed out very early (6 am) to meet with a Masai. We went to an amazing place to watch the sunrise. Then we headed to their village and they gave us a tour. They were very welcoming, they even allowed us to wear the Lion Head hat, which is a traditional thing in their culture. Afterwards, they tried to sell some souvenirs to us, but there was nothing special so we didn't buy anything. After that, he brought us back to the camp and we drove back to Nairobi.
Point for improvement:
First, I think that more time in the park on the first day is a must. We only spent 1-2 hours, which was not what we were promised. Also, we had to explicitly ask for the tour to the Masai village, and our driver initially planned that we sleep in on the last day to take us back to Nairobi. That was not the plan!
Second, we had to go with a different van back to Nairobi. Not only were the people not amused to host us in their van, but the driver was also mad at us to have to drop us off and initially insisted to drop us off somewhere in Nairobi and that "we can take an Uber back to your location". In the end, he dropped us off at our place, but you could feel that there was a hostile atmosphere in the van. Not our problem...
Lastly, more time in the park (as described) would be great. At least living up to promises.
All in all, it was an amazing experience for good value! I suggest this safari to everyone who doesn't have much money but would like to do a big safari!
US
Great Value for the Money
We picked AMT as it had good reviews and was within our budget. They were great with communication leading up to the safari and set us up with a great guide, Simon. We had an amazing tour and wonderful time with Simon at the helm. We had tented camps and electricity every night although internet was hit and miss.
We missed our tour of Hells gate due to political protests, and AMT was kind enough to refund the national park fee to our guide as part of his tip. There was some communication errors on our tour, but we did everything else on the itinerary.
Masai Mara is not to be missed. : )
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
it was an amazing experience, everything was well handled and the safari was super
this was our first multiple day safari. the booking was really easy, there was good communication and enough information for our trip. the lodge was beautiful and the game drives were amazing.
MT
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Satisfaction
Satisfied with the communications from the first sms. service from the tour operaters was good. The only difficulty was the Mitingi camp about the food service and the cutting of electricity.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good Budget Safari
Had a great few days in the Mara, Peter our guide was friendly & knowledgable. Rhino camp was good, food not the best but it was fine, it is a budget Safari after all! The price went up just days before we travelled but we were given the option of a different camp for the same price. Overall we enjoyed ourselves greatly and would recommend.