US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya has a mild climate (in October), complex and varied wildlife and engaging, helpful people.
My brother Musa and I, both septuagenarians, had an 11-day tour that included the Samburu and Masai Mara National Reserves, the Amboseli National Park, the Ol Pejeta Conservancy, and the Lakes Nakuru and Naivasha. The Mufasa Tours representative Joseph Wakaba worked with us to plan the kind of trip we desired. Our terrific guide and driver, Boniface (Odhis) Odhiambo knew the dirt roads in all the parks thoroughly. Odhis’s skill in navigation enabled us to cover much ground and see as wide a range of wildlife as possible.
In Samburu, where we started, he showed us reticulated giraffes, Somali ostriches, several lionesses, elephants, baboons, warthogs, a cheetah, several types of antelope—oryx, Grant’s gazelles, the long-necked gerenuk— and the endangered Grévy's zebras that were being fed hay to keep them alive during the prolonged drought. In Ol Pejeta, a herd of cape buffalo rested within easy eyesight across a ditch from the lawn of the Sweetwater Lodge. We were able to get very close to and even feed the blind black rhino Baraka. We visited the sanctuary for rescued chimpanzees and saw many mammals (including plains zebras, white rhinos, spotted hyenas, impalas, Thompson’s gazelles, elephants, and a cheetah) and birds (such as the African sacred ibis, the blacksmith lapwing, and the pied crow). At Lake Nakuru, there were white rhinos on the road and a black rhino in a field. We observed the preliminary mating ritual of two Rothschild giraffes. Most spectacular were the birds in the lake: a long row of the pink lesser flamingoes, numerous greater flamingoes and pelicans, and the colorful storks—both the yellow-billed and the Marabou.
We stayed three nights in Masai Mara. New animals to us there included the Masai giraffe (yes, there are three kinds of giraffe in Kenya), the topi and hartebeest antelopes, and the common ostrich. There were also many elephants and zebras and occasional warthogs and baboons. On the first full day, we saw several lions, including a male who walked among the several sightseeing vehicles that had gathered to see him as if they weren’t there. The crackle of the radio, as the guides let each other know where a lion, cheetah, or leopard could be seen, was one of the ambient sounds of our excursions. We traveled to the Masai River to see crocodiles and a school of hippos. Toward the end of the day, we followed a leopard stalking a topi antelope. The next day, we started before breakfast and saw a rare black rhino in the early light. During the day we tracked a herd of mama elephants and their children and saw a baby sucking milk from its mother with its mouth and not its trunk. Late in the afternoon, we stayed for a while with a lone cheetah and, after that, as the sun was setting, we encountered another black rhino moving through the grass.
At Lake Naivasha, we took a boat ride. The lake had several hippos and many birds—sacred ibis, great white pelican, pied kingfisher, Egyptian geese, and the stunning lilac-breasted roller. There were also young men who waded into the water to fish. At the end of the lake, we left the boat for a while to walk through a conservancy where we could walk right up to plains zebras, Masai giraffes, and waterbuck antelopes.
Amboseli was the last place we visited before returning to Nairobi. A good part of it is a treeless swamp fed by the rainfall on the nearby Mt Kilimanjaro. In the fall of 2022, the rest of the park was quite dry, as Amboseli was in the midst of a severe drought. Although there was much water in marshy areas, the vegetation that grows there is inadequate to support non-ruminant animals like wildebeest and zebra. These animals would become too weak to extricate themselves from the marsh, remain stuck there, and die of starvation. Elephants were a bit luckier. The full-grown elephants could pull themselves out of the swampy water and knew they needed to walk back to the forest at the foot of the mountain to eat from the trees and shrubs there. But the younger ones often had difficulty. We saw many hippos wading through the plants in the swamp. They fared better than the other large animals. We did see many living animals, but many dead and dying ones, too. (The Amboseli Conservation Program website says that 12% of the 10,000 wildebeest have died, 10% of the zebras, 5% of the elephants.) The smell of the air resembled that of the seashore at low tide. The vultures had many carcasses to choose from. There were birds everywhere of many varieties: flamingoes, ibises, egrets, pelicans, storks, and others. Amboseli showed us both the abundance of nature and its cruelty.
In Nairobi, after the safari, we had two excellent dinners. The first was at the Mama Oliech restaurant where we each had an entire tilapia surrounded with vegetables and drenched in African spices. The second restaurant was Stavros, where my brother had a poussin (chicken) dish and I had a spicy bronzini.
Our excellent guide Odhis could identify most of the animals and birds, but he appreciated the supplemented information we found on the internet or with the Merlin bird app (which worked quite well even in remote areas). He told us he liked that we were curious about many things and not just focused on seeing the large animals. If we asked him to stop or linger to look at something or take a photo, he always did; but if his radio told him of something of high interest that might soon disappear, we eagerly took his suggestion to seek it out.
Because we were on a private tour our other encounters with people were brief. Memorable ones include the playful concierge at the Boma Hotel who after getting to know us, advised us, “because you are my friends,” to take an Uber to the restaurant and to go sightseeing, because it was much cheaper than the taxi she would order us. My brother speaks Swahili and a smattering of Luo, the language of the region near Lake Victoria where he lived forty-five years ago. Odhis and several of his fellow drivers were Luo and they were astonished and pleased when Musa greeted them in their native language—pleased because it showed that he had more than a passing interest in their culture. Musa also had several engaging conversations with another Luo, the head chef of the Sopa lodge chain at the first of the two Sopa lodges we stayed at. I travel light and purchased only one small item—a beautiful finely carved elephant—at one of the several curio shops we stopped at. At others shops, I felt awkward and not wanting to buy things because this was how people in the shops made their living. When I told one older gentleman that I was an old man myself and needed to get rid of things more than to acquire new ones, he patted my back and smiled as if he understood.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A tough motorcycle ride that should only be done by experienced off-road riders
In September, the pans are very dry, so the wildlife is scarce. September is still very hot (42 degrees Celsius) and the wind was also very strong. With no trees for shelter, camping on the pans was difficult. The Pans are surrounded by deep soft sand, making it difficult on two wheels.
Camping on the open Pans in an awesome experience. You will never feel such solitude when looking across the Pans at absolutely nothing.
Kubu Island with its mystical history is a must see
CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Beautiful country with abundant wildlife, and cities with large wealth disparities.
Kenya is a must-travel destination if you enjoy wildlife tourism. Masai Mara is an expansive, well managed safari, with an abundance of fauna, though tour operators vary in their knowledge of details about the animals. The roads are chaotic, but it's quite fun really, and the accommodations seem quite nice when the power/wifi works. Birding isn't a big feature it seems, though there are some beautiful species, with the exception being the guides at Lake Naivasha. Nairobi has some nice restaurants at affordable prices, and is quite safe now (given the precautions taken due to terrorist attacks), but isn't worth spending much time in unless you're there for other reasons.
SE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing safari experience!
Me and my family (wife and kids 13 and 10 yo) travelled with Soul of Tanzania and spent four days in Ngorongoro, central Serengeti and Lake Manyara. We had an amazing few days with our guide Gabriel, who was very knowledgeable, a good communicator and great at spotting rare wildlife. We saw nine leopards and three cheetahs in Serengeti for example, which is above and beyond anything we have experienced at other African safaris. Our top experience was a balloon safari over Serengeti at sunrise. If you get the opportunity, I strongly recommend it!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
6 day Mikumi & Selous safari
We did the 6 day trip to two national parks starting and ending in Dar es Salam. Everything was well organized and taken care of. Our driver / guide Amani spoke very good English and was extremely knowledgable. No question he couldn't answer! He did a remarkable job spotting animals/tracks..., thus providing an unforgettable experience for us. We especially enjoyed the boat safari and the walking safari with a local bushman. Bakari was also very attentive and cooked the most delicious food for us!
Thanks again to the whole team at Malengo, we will surely recommend your services! Asante sana :)
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Beautiful Botswana!
I am a South African and visited Botswana for the first time in October 2022. Botswana had been on my bucket list for over a decade and now, I wish I had visited sooner! It is a beautiful country, their people are kind and helpful, fluent in English and easy to converse with. I visited three Kwando Safaris camps and loved each camp. The camps are unfenced and the wildlife experience is second to none - elephants walking through camp, buffalos, warthogs, antelope, amazing birdlife and more. The most beautiful scenery and landscapes - perfect for photography! The animal life is abundant, and in the private concessions, game viewing isn't crowded, it's private and perfect. You're often/ always the only safari vehicle at any one sighting. The experience was personal, exceeded my wildest expectations. Safari drives, mokoro on the rivers, fishing, motor boats in the Delta - all spectacular.
Food and drinks are endless, sunsets are magnificent (you HAVE to see an African sunset!), afternoons are long and lazy. Each camp having a swimming pool, lovely to laze at (with the passing elephant every so often!).
Bear in mind, that October is known to be Botswana's warmest month, with little to no rain (waiting for the November rains, which cools the ground). The days were hot - about 40 dgs C, but it cooled down relatively at night. I still loved it - I love African heat! The Delta was dry, and so was the bushveld, making it easier to find animals. But due to the dryness, sand and bushveld fires, the atmosphere was hazy (but you don't really notice this, unless you're processing protos and hope for a crystal clear environment).
I felt safe all of the time, from landing at Maun airport to my journey back home.
My suggestion: Botswana must be on your bucket list, visit it! You won't regret it, it's a magical experience from start to finish. I can't wait to go back!!!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fabulous trip and service!
Rose of The Luxury Safari Company organised the most wonderful safari trip to Kenya for me and my two teenage children. She understood perfectly from the first moment of our phone chat what we were after and organised a trip that exceeded our expectations. She chose three camp locations and assembled them in the perfect order, allowing us to acclimatise in the cooler Kigio Wildlife Conservancy before moving to the stunning beauty of the Meru National Park and finally to the highlight, Offbeat Mara in the Masai Mara North Consersancy. She is also most responsive and readily reachable for any question or problem. Highly recommended!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
'Budget' felt like luxury
We had a fantastic 4 day safari in Masai Mara. There was no shortage of wildlife - elephants, rhino, giraffe, leopards, zebra, lions, antelope, gazelle, hippos... And we were able to get quite close, too, for some great shots. I definitely recommend paying a little extra for a Landcruiser if you can. We went with Unscripted Safaris and Alex, the driver/guide, was brilliant. Knowledgeable, calm, organised and friendly. It made all the difference. The 'budget' safari felt quite luxurious so don't feel you need to splurge on extras. We could not be happier with the experience.
CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful Safari-Trip!
After more than 20 years back in Africa on a Safari-trip! My wife, our two teenaged sons and I could spend 12 days in Tanzania and Zanzibar. We had a six days Safari in four different parks (Tarangire, Manyara, Ndutu/Serengeti and Ngorongoro) Everything was very well organised by Magda and Richard from Flash Safaris for a really fair prize! The lodges were all excellent and located at wonderful spots! Melek, our driver/guide, was a friendly and experienced man, who looked carefully after us. He was a good driver, who didn't speed or rush, just that we would see the Big Five! To every question he knew an interesting answer and his knowledge about the country Tanzania and its wildlife was astonishing! After this adventure (we will never forget!), we relaxed in an exquisite place called Ocean Paradise in Zanzibar.
For the whole family it was a great journey and we thank the Flash-Safaris-Team for the perfect organisation!
This agency really gets 5 stars!!!
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing!
It was amazing. The animals, the guide from Mustafa, the animals, our stay! Fell in love with Kenya