TW
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice choice
Thanks to It started in Africa, we had the most memorable experience trip in Africa! They provide individualized itinerary and reply really soon. I can tell they really concerned what we need and what we asked. The last day, we forgot sending our post cards and left it in the lodge, they helped us send the post cards for free, so sweet! Highly recommend! Awesome!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great safari
Great safari!
Amazing lodges!!
A lot of animals (no leopards...too bad!)
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Nice tours in Nairobi and Amboseli
The tours were nice but our guide in Nairobi tour went to wrong address and when he called to us we have not idea where was our accommodation.
The logistics for Amboseli tour was better, the guide was nice and quiet, he shared his passions about the amazing birds in the park.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Richard my tour operator was courteous, respectul and very helpful
I enjoyed the tour tremendously, everything was very well coordinated, the staff at the camp were very hospitable and communication was well relied. For a solo traveler, my needs were very well catered for. I would recommend Karibu Safaris to anyone weather you are alone, with family or friends. They will make your safari memorable for a budget camping safari.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Some things were good and others not so good!
Edith was great about getting back to us with any questions we asked, but she often didn't have correct information. For example, she told us that all of the lodges would have Wi-FI, and this was not correct. Often the lodges did not even have electricity and operated only on generators so charging electronics and camera batteries had to be done in the main lodge and not in our rooms. Paul, our guide, was very knowledgeable and he took good care of us. He operated on Uganda time, I guess, as he was often fashionably late from the time he indicated that he would pick us up so often he would be 30 minutes late. Some of the lodges did not have screens on the windows, so if you are concerned about a mosquito bite--oh well! We stayed at one particularly horrible place which I would certainly not recommend and this place was Trekkers Tavern! The food was ok and the staff was friendly, but the rooms had no lighting so it was impossible to see in suitcases without a flashlight. The water coming out of the tap was muddy for the first 10 minutes and had no water pressure. The rooms were cold! Very cold, but they put water bottles in our beds and mine leaked and got the bed all wet! The water lines are run across the walkways and you have to step over them. The curtains don't completely cover the windows. So cold and dark! Not a place where I would keep my dog! The road up to Trekkers is long and terrible! Make sure you don't go there! We saw lots of animals and the gorilla trekking was fabulous, so all in all we had a good time, but lodging needs improvement.
TR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Decent return for the price
we really enjoyed our 5 day safari in masai mara, naivasha and nakuru. it was more than our expectations. the accommodation was satisfactory for a budget tour. raymond is an excellent driver. the roads were awful but he drove very careful. before the safari, whenever i wrote an e-mail, i got a quick answer. bref, karibu safaris is a fantastic tour operator.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Good communication, great animal safari for the budget - but lots of travel and a moving itinerary.
I travelled with my sister on the 12 day safari in Kenya and Tanzania.
David is an excellent communicator, which made booking informative and simple.
Collection from the airport prior to the safari was a nice complimentary service.
When we were collected to pay our itinerary was changed.
Our driver in Kenya, Stanley (Stano), was fantastic. He knew where to go to find the animals and was always happy to pause so we could take photo's. The accommodation in Kenya was varied from very nice to functional. Keep in mind its a budget holiday so manage your expectations on the temperature and volume of water in your shower.
Do take a power bank to recharge your phone - electricity access is variable. I took a solar charger and power bank and didn't need any mains supply.
Minivan transport in Kenya was fun as we shared with 6 other people, who helped make the holiday. The roads are bumpy and some of the driving styles are not what you might normally expect - but its fun.
We did the hot air ballon, which is very expensive for an hour's ride and it is hit and miss what you drift over. The champagne breakfast is also nice and we were glad we took the opportunity.
The transfer from Kenya to Tanzania was lengthy and involved a series of transport changes. The shuttle bus is public transport to Arusha and would have been improved by a dedicated tour operator vehicle.
We were issued a revised itinerary in Tanzania, same places but in a different order - which was fine. It appearered this part of the safari had been subcontracted out to another company. Our booking of tents with bed and bedding was downgraded to tent with mat and blanket. We did ask for the original but when we got to the camp we still got the mat and blanket.
Accommodation in Tanzania was mixed, some very nice and some a basic tent which you take with you on the 4x4.
More great travel mates - 6 of us plus the driver, Gervas - who was excellent and the cook.
The food is mixed but good considering its travelling with you and cooked on site.
The trip back from Arusha to Nairobi is again very long after a long safari, but I must say both companies were very helpful in adjusting our travel arrangements after my sister was unwell and unable to travel.
Overall I would probably just stick with Kenya for safari. I'm not sure adding Tanzania added to what we saw but did significantly add to the travel time. As long as you can go with the bumpy roads and 'flexible' itinerary its a great budget holiday.
TR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful Safari , Trustworthy Operator, Friendly Staff
With Hekima, we did a 4 day safari (Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongoro) and 2 day trips to Kikuletwa Hotsprings and Kilimanjaro.
Safari experience was really good. Our driver/guide Moses was really experienced and friendly. He knows where to drive and when to start the game drives. In Serengeti, we started the game drive at 6:00 and saw a kind of conflict between a lion and hyaena clan just at the beginning. Many safari cars came half an hour later and missed the whole show.
The food in safari was above my expectations. If protein is important in your diet, you must bring it for yourself. Meat amount was little as expected.
The sleeping bags and tents are taken from a place in Mto wa Mbu. I guess most operators do the same since I saw similar tents in campsites. Tents were a bit smelly at first night. Sleeping bags have different models and conditions. Some of them are not suitable for the night at Ngorongoro especially for the girls (5-10 'C). But wearing layers during the sleep can suffice.
The only problem in our experience with Hekima was in Kilimanjaro Day hike. We started the day nearly 2 hours later than suggested time and we needed to rush a lot for completing the hike before 6pm (after 6 hiking is prohibited). Because of this we could not see Maundi Crater and did not enjoy the hike since we did not give breaks and need to complete the whole hike in 4 hours (nearly double speed). They must be more careful on this kind of arrangements and must consider the traffic and park rules.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Upmarket Safari trip with some amazing animal moments
We went to see animals and that is what happened. It was sometimes hit and miss but we were covering vast areas and animals don't stand around waiting for us to snap them. The safari guides/drivers were very knowledgeable and capable bushman able to see animal tracks when they were driving. They were incredible drivers and tried to get us up close to the animal without causing either the animals or ourselves any harm. We enjoyed the accommodation especially the unfenced stays that we had, on those nights we had a lot of elephant activity and it is a wow factor to have large animals so close. All in all looking forward to going back to Africa.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great safari and wonderful stay at Zanzibar
Communication was excellent. The service was perfect and we loved our guide. The safari tour was just as we had hoped.