CA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Horrible, No Show No apologies
I have been communicating steadily with Safari Gates since March 2018 (after seeing an ad on safaribookings.com) regarding a one day safari to Nairobi National Park on July 18th 2018. Jose was supposed to pick us up at our Hotel on July 18th 2018 but never did. He even sent an e-mail saying he would be there 15 minutes late but he never showed up. No apologies and no reasons given. No more communication after that very cheap shot.
We are so deceived by Safari Gates that we will let many people on the internet know beginning with SafariBookings.com (service with them was always good, no blame here), a major source of clients for Safari companies and also on social medias.
To Jose @ Safari Gates, You cannot just not show up and not say a word afterwards. That is not a business option. Very poor service. Very bad move ! Stay away from them, they will never show up !
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lions and tiger and bears oh my!!
We were a group of 4 and we did the 5 night budget safari (2 nights Masai Mara, 1 night lake Nakuru, 2 nights Amboseli) $650pp Driver: Edward
I highly recommend this tour company and would definitely use them again but would pay more for a private safari van next time!! Edward our driver is also excellent!!!!
From the beginning Robert answered all my questions and responded immediately to all my emails. I found Karibu Safari on safaribooking.com and decided to go with them because their prices were very reasonable for the budget Safari and they also have reviews on TripAdvisor so it gave me confidence to send my deposit and have trust that they were a valid company. Here are my observations and what we experienced
1) They recommended Decasa hotel in Nairobi... DO NOT STAY THERE! It was cheap at $32 a night but the neighborhood is sketchy and we had to have the hotel’s security guard escort us around the block to dinner where we also had to buy his dinner. The toilet was broken and the sink was clogged. There’s a tv but only god knows where the remote to turn it on is. Our friends didn’t take a shower for fear of electrocution due to low hanging wires. Find your own place and have Kirabu pick you up!
2) The van - it’s good and it’s the style that all the other budget companies use but.... it holds 8 people and 9 if someone sits up front with the driver but when you’re actually on Safari it’s not comfortable with 7 people which is what we had in our group!! 6 is the best but if you can afford the private safari van then DO IT!!! The front row is awesome because you get unobstructed views but very awkward as you have to stand on the seats but when you sit down you get your own side window, you also get jostled around a lot while on safari. The middle seats are 2 captains chairs and give lots of room but no side windows, the back row seats seats three and also good because you get unobstructed back views. The 7 of us switched seats everyday to give everyone a chance to get a different perspective and seat but if you have tall guys then the back row is best for them. It’s also a long drive to get to the different places!! 6 hours to get from Nairobi to Masai Mara, 5 hours to get to Lake Nakuru, 8 hours to get to Amboseli. It would be AMAZING if Kirabu would equip their vans with WiFi as some of the others had this feature to pass the time on these drives from place to place or have your drivers offer a personal hotspot via a company phone. *if you can sort out a SIM card before the safari do it!* oh and some of the other vans had coolers to keep drinks cold, that was probably the luxury safari tours but it would be a nice touch to add.
3) Lunch stops - it’s good! Usually a rice, bean, veg, meat buffet style with a bunch of other groups but they are efficient and it’s a decent meal to fill you up and you’re on your way. When you stop for lunch you buy your own water and drinks. They usually stop somewhere there’s souvenirs and a little market to grab a few snacks attached to the lunch place. ALWAYS carry toilet paper or tissues!!!!!! Also hand sanitizer is a good thing to have on hand as well.
4) Mara Springs tented camp - DO NOT USE their public toilet!! It is so gross!!! As soon as you get to the camp which really right next to the park and you can see the wild animals (zebras, giraffe) on the way there as you pass through these small villages and the camp looks directly on the hillside of the Masai (its a peek-a-boo view so don’t get your hopes up) still really cool though! The tents are what’s expected for a budget Safari but the beds look like the Great Rift Valley as they are very worn. We had 2 tents side by side and both bathroom windows the screens were broken so we had lots of bug visitors at night so keep that part of the tent zipped! I told them about this and they didn’t seem to be interested in fixing it. We also had to ask for chairs to sit on outside the tent which is a great place to relax at the end of the Safari day. The first night we arrived they didn’t have toilet paper or towels until around 8pm that night so again make sure you carry some. There’s power in the camp from 5:30-7:30am and then at night from 6:30-10pm and this is when you take showers and charge your batteries in the communal area. The showers were hit and miss the first night I got a barely warm shower and the second night it was HOT! With our friends it was the opposite so I guess it depends on your luck when you decide to shower. *pack shower shoes too* In regards to the charging area it was a total cluster!! The Chinese took over that area and almost all the available outlets so get in there quick!!! We forgot about our batteries one night and the next morning they were still there. Every one at that camp is very nice and accommodating. The food was good and I loved the packed lunch for the all day Safari day. The driver is given a case of water as soon as we arrive at the camp and I recommend you all divide it up as we only took one bottle and during dinner had to buy another bottle of water because the driver wasn’t sleeping at that camp so we had no access to the water that was included with the tour. I also recommend bringing a head lamp as it makes it so much easier to move around the camp and your tent when the power is off. There are no outlets in the tent.
5) Masai Mara Safari - BRING GOOD QUALITY BINOCULARS!!!!!! We were hoping to get to see the great wildebeest migration but missed it by a week. However...... the first night drive was fabulous! There’s a CB radio and all the drivers work together to find out where the good stuff is and then we get to see it! We saw two lioness and 3 cubs the first night. We also watched wild dogs on the hunt but had to leave because there’s a rule about having to be out of the park by 6:30?? The next morning we were told we would start at 6:30 as they start serving breakfast at 6:00. The all day safari was excellent! It’s kind of a traffic jam if something exciting happens and I mean 30-60 vehicles all trying to get their people a good view. Edward is AWESOME!!!! Incredible driving and maneuvering!!! He did his best to get us up front every time and he succeeded!!!!! He took us to the river crossing and there was not one wildebeest but lots of hippos. We had lunch under a tree which was so cool! This is where it gets a bit confusing. When I messaged Karibu I was told drivers can drive off road in Kenya which is why it’s better to Safari in Kenya but we were told by Edward that there’s a $500 fine for driving off the designated roads. Every time we saw something it wasn’t anywhere near a designated road and there were a million Safari vans and trucks there so I’m not sure what is up with what I was told by Karibu and Edward. On the final morning before moving on to Lake Nakuru you are given an option of Masai Village or Lake Navishu??spelling?? Half our group wanted village and are group of 4 wanted to do the lake. Both of these tours are $30pp extra and Edward was nice enough to allow us to do both. We went on a morning safari and then to the village where 3 people went in and we hung outside with some of the kids and played ball and tag the. Edward drive us to the lake (must pay in cash in local, USD or euro) where we got on our own boat and it was wonderful!!! So many different kinds of birds! Loved our boat tour around the lake. We had to drive an additional 3-4 hours to get to the hotel.
6) Citymax hotel- It was a nicer hotel than Decasa. The WiFi only works in the main lobby and for some reason when you charge your electronics and phones in the single room outlet it takes FOREVER! Shower was HOT and water pressure good! It’s nice to watch the sunset from the rooftop area but they don’t have any chairs to sit and relax which would make it so much better. We asked for ice and sparkling water and one of the guys at the hotel said he would run and grab it for us. He came back with a small bag of ice and 4 bottles of sprite and said it was $17. I don’t recommend asking them to run to the store for you!! We had been used to eating a buffet style meal and so when we sat at our assigned dinner time we had noticed the group before us had a nice buffet selection but with us they said that we would get fresh food brought to us. Well..... the plate had the tiniest chicken leg and tiny portions. We asked if we chould have more but they said we would have to buy it and gave us a menu. Half a chicken was $15usd and a bowl of soup $5. I would expect to pay these prices in a 5 star hotel but this was a BUDGET hotel ripping off the tourist in my opinion!!! It was just one night and we were off to safari around Lake Nakuru. The hotel was 3 minutes from the park but as with every park entrance (Masai, Nakuru,Amboseli) we sensed that there was some kind of underlying politics with the drivers and the parks where some vans went straight in and others had to wait in line while the driver sorted things out. We got into Nakuru and they don’t have the million flamingo like before and you have to stay on the road so we never got really close to the rhinos and we wished we had brought binoculars!! It was still sooooooo amazing to see them!!! We drove around the whole lake. I would have liked to have stopped at one of the view points but 2 people in our van were on a time crunch but I never felt cheated and enjoyed the Safari!! This is were we said goodbye to the couple and single guy as they were heading back to Nairobi and we continued on to Amboseli just the 4 of us and it was HEAVENLY to have the whole van to ourselves!!! I honestly think Edward is super human as he drove from 6:00am that morning and got us to Amboseli around 9pm that night without any rest!
7) Kimana tented camp - WOW!!!!! Talk about a night and day difference from Mara Springs tented camp. This place was fantastic! 24hr power, outlet in the room, 24hr hot shower, a bar!!, a chef that comes out and talks to you about the food, the staff that works there are incredible, public communal toilets are clean, the area is very well maintained, fire pit at night!!!! So happy to have finished with this camp!!! Also super close to the entrance of Amboseli park and looks directly at Mt Kilimanjaro! We were offered the nature walk for $10usd per person plus tip and this is a rip off. They just walk you in a circle and you don’t see much. We just saw an enormous bird on a tree and talked about dating and customs. Very underwhelming. They will also ask for a tip at the end and it was only 45 minutes. Amboseli however is the park to go to if you love elephants!!! So many and they are so HUGE!!! We witnessed huge male elephants refuse to let safari trucks pass on the road and made everyone back up. Edward read this one elephant family’s route and positioned us perfectly to have them cross right in front of our van!!!! What we didn’t know then was how lucky we were to see the mother with the twin elephant babies and then there was another baby elephant with so much attitude we were in hysterics laughing and watching!!! The elephants in Masai were very mellow but the elephants in Amboseli were so mesmerizing to watch!!! We saw hyenas in Amboseli that we didn’t see in Masai but we did see lionesses and the usual zebras and wildebeest. Loved Amboseli!!!
8) Edward our driver - He was not a man of many words but when he did speak his knowledge of the animals and the parks are incredible!!!! He had answers for every question we threw at him and he had to put up with 4 Americans, 1 single American and a Swedish couple and I commend him for really giving us a fabulous safari!!! I’m not the easiest person as we’ve travelled a lot and so my expectations and demands come in waves, fast and lots of them but he really was so incredible!!! He never lost his patience with any of us and truly tried to please everyone and get everyone exactly what they wanted! He is an incredible driver!!! He has been doing this for 9 years if I remember correctly and you can tell! He knew where to go and would be on his radio trying to find us good stuff!! Since we missed the wildebeest migration I asked him when we left him if he could do me two favors. 1) send a video of the migration as soon as he sees it 2)send a video of a kill which he did 3 days later and it was so sad I’m actually glad I never saw it in real life. It just reinforces my opinion of how awesome he is and that he did this for me after our Safari was over and we were out of the country but so I could see these things!!
Here is my list of packing essentials...
Packet of mustard!! Those packed lunch sandwiches are dry.
Safari hat!!! Just for the fun photos!!
Neck pillow- eye mask for the long drives
Bandana or surgical mask - lots and lots and lots of dust
Binoculars - no cheap ones!!!
Head lamp
Sunglasses
Toilet paper/hand wipes/hand sanitizer
Travel towel
QA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Terrible experience while on the 7 day tour.
I had been approached by Tour Kenya Safari Heights owner Meshak Mutinda like many other tour operators when I had submitted a quote on Safari Bookings for my visit to Kenya for the Safari in March 2018.I had mentioned to my tour operator that I wanted Ole Moran in Masai Mara for my 2 days stay,Flamingo Lodge in Lake Nakuru on my One night stay and Kibo Safari Camp for 2 nights stay.He showed me the booking vouchers and asked rather begged to make the deposit of 300usd in the first week to April saying these hotels would be booked as July is a peak Season.He promised to provide for my first and last night stay in Nairobi and also visit to the elephant and giraffe centre on the last day.My tour was from 12th July 2018 until 19th July 2018.He offered me Sunrise Hotel on my first day of stay in Nairobi to which I had denied(after receiving bad feedback from friends) as it is not a nice hotel inspite of 3 star ratings.Meshak promised to provide another hotel however on the day of arrival in Nairobi he put us up there saying all the rest were full.
Next day en route to Masai Mara the driver John informed mid way that we are not putting up in Ole Moran(which is way closer to the park)but Nature Explore lodge which is 45min.drive away from the main gate entrance.So basically you waste at least an hour to enter.On speaking to Meshak the excuses started that Ole Moran is full etc.As per the itinerary he did not even provide for the next day early morning drive as he would have to pay for the entrance again.Same happened in Lake Nakuru and Amboseli they kept on changing the hotel.In Nakuru the hotel was good 45min drive from the gate entrance hence we waste another hour just to enter.In Amboseli as well AA lodge where we put up was still decent however on our 2 day stay we only got to visit the park on the first day and second day early morning drive was not provided as per the itinerary and we were asked to pay for it.Overall on the entire journey the driver John tried to savour money from us.He also took 35usd pp for the Masai Village entrance fee by lieing to us to fill his own pocket.Not to mention on our last day arrival in Nairobi no stay was provided and we had to book on our own.I had agreed on 1150usd pp on private tour for 2 and Tour Kenya Safari Heights failed to keep up to his word.We were scared that we would be left in the middle of the road anytime by our driver.Also on talking to the owner I only get excuses.There are many of these agencies trying to get money out of you by making false promises so please don't fall prey.We don't want anyone else to suffer like we did.So please make your own booking be it more or paying less money through booking com or Agoda or the hotel directly and arrange for your own transportation.We are lucky that we got to see the animals and the Safari was somewhat decent.But throughout we were scared that we might not see what we have paid for.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolutely perfect and amazing!
We had an amazing time .. 8 days Safari trip in kenya perfectly organized by top cream tours. Everything was perfect and would recommend to anyone becuase they can tailor and customize the trip impeccably.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very organised and nice people! Amazing accommodations and safariguide ! Five star
Our experience with top cream safari was excellent. Erastus was incredibly kind and helpful and organised all our 8 days Safari in a superp way. Of course it was a bit expensive for us but all lived the expectations. Our lodges and camp were incredibly beautiful and our driver Jhon was kind and skilled. Really recommend them !
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good tour. everything was perfect
I booked my tour through the wildlife Safari Exploreans. They genuinely suggested best tour package. But after the booking, i got impressed with the services. We been there from 10am until 6pm. And everything was perfect and fast Starting from booking, pickup and back to the hotel. It was good to see many animals and birds. All was so close and safe. Superb.
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
My first and best Safari tour
I chose Masai Mara Air Special package through Wildlife Safari Exploreans. My package includes transfer from my hotel to Airport then fly to Masai Mara Game Reserve. We enjoyed seeing wildlife in Masai Mara Game reserve with morning and afternoon game drives. Dinner and overnight was good at Lodge. Our Guide was friendly and educated. He told us many things about animals. We are going to make a trip again here.
SE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Wonderful experience. Wildlife Safari Exploreans is best.
Our experience going through the park was amazing. The staff of Wildlife Exploreans was polite . The driver was informative. Jeep was very clean and well maintained. We did the lion encounter, elephant encounter, Rhino, Buffalo and Leopard encounter and many others. Very adventurous to us.
I highly recommend Wildlife Safari Exploreans for family and freinds.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 breathtaking Safari days with Get Together Adventure
First of all i would start with the statement : I will definitely make my next Safari with Get Together Adventure!
I will never forget this Safari. Every things ruined through perfectly. First the organization of the safari, then the competence of our guide to point out the right places to go in order to see animals, landscapes... but also the nice places to stay in the evening to relax and take a breath.
Based on my experience, I simply highly recommend Get Together Adventures! If they are not the best I would question what can be better!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ultimate experience
I had a wonderfull 3 days trip with Africa Advnture vacations together with my family. We were very amused by the way they arranged and organised our safari. Parkview safari lodge had the best meals and staff were welcoming. Our driver was the best. He was caring a´nd had comprehesive knowledge of wildlife. Thanks very much Africa Adventure team we are looking forward to booking you again for Murchision falls