US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable adventure of a life time
My wife and I just finished a 10-day private safari in Kenya - and were stunned by the amazing diversity of the animals and beauty of the various national parks. Dennis was our tour consultant and we selected Morningstar based upon the prompt and detailed price quotations he provided and the ratings on SafariBookings. He adjusted the itinerary based upon our selected parks, Nairobi - Amboseli - Naivasha - Ol Pejeta - Samburu - Nakuru - Masai Mara. Overall, the itinerary was organized very well, good accommodations and included airport transfers. Thanks Dennis.
As to the parks themselves, they were even better than our expectations. From the views of Mt Kilimanjaro, elephant herds of Amboseli, the beauty of Naivasha, special 5 of Samburu, flamingos of Nakuru to the unique vistas of Masai Mara with the big 5 - unforgettable moments.
James was our guide for the trip. He is very knowledgeable about all the parks and wildlife, highly skilled in spotting different animals, and turned out to be a photography enthusiast who offered to take photos with the long lens from driver seat. He surely has an eye for taking great photos and certainly helped capture some moments that otherwise would not have been possible. Thank you James.
We ended up giving 4 stars instead of 5 due to certain aspects that Dennis and James could have done better. Given the road conditions and traffic, anticipated transit times between parks was too optimistic, would have appreciated advice to reduce some parks. James should have checked that the Land Cruiser sliding windows could be easily opened and showed us how to operate them on day 1 so that photos could have been taken easily without having to climb up on seats and take from the open top only. He should also have been punctual on pickups, not spend inordinate amount of time on phone during game drives and should have gotten our agreement to any changes to daily activities specified in the itinerary with us.
Overall, we had an unforgettable experience and would recommend Morningstar.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The adventure started from the airport
We had two drivers on account of one shuttle breaking down. Theodore our second driver rescued us and made up some of that lost time. Ride was generally comfortable and the free wifi is a plus
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The tour was good, and we enjoyed it.
The transportation, accommodations, food, and guides were all great. We enjoyed the tour very much.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Chobe National Park by Kathy
I like a wilder setting. The quantity of wildlife was huge! Less variety than the delta
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Trip of a Lifetime, But There are Some Things to Know Before You Go
The Good:
My wife and I had an amazing time in the Maasai Mara and surrounding area. The wildlife was abundant, the landscape beautiful, and the local Masai people are very friendly. It was the trip of a lifetime, and as a photographer I couldn't be happier at the images I was able to get. Believe me when I say that the good outweighs the bad and the ugly, which are commented on below. I highly recommend a trip to Kenya, but the comments below are just to give a realistic picture regarding some of the challenges you can expect.
The Bad:
The main drawback is that it can feel overwhelming when you are approached by so many people trying to sell merchandise every time your vehicle stops when you are outside the game reserve. Also, keep in mind that there are no services near the game reserve for pulling out cash. Even our lodge did not have an ATM. Even if there were an ATM, I found out later that my ATM card will not work in Kenya, as my US bank refuses to do business in the country. Also, the lodge could not break larger bills in American dollars. So bring enough small bills for tips, which you will need everywhere.
The Ugly:
For someone who has not been to an underdeveloped country, the extreme poverty can be a bit jolting. My wife and I have traveled extensively, so we knew what to expect. But with extreme poverty comes the need for security when you are a tourist. We stayed overnight in Nyrobi before heading out to the game reserve and I've never seen so much security screening required just to enter the hotel property. The vehicle was searched by security staff. Then to enter the hotel you go thru TSA style security with bags being scanned and stepping thru a scanner. You can't access the elevator or even the hallway to your room without a key card. That is good for our protection, but sad to see it as being necessary due to criminal elements in the city. We never felt unsafe outside the hotel as long as we were with our guide. However, we would have felt very unsafe without him.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Peaceful
We were with Moloko and it was a beautiful day.
Thank you for the visit
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
7 days Masai Mara/Nakuru/Navisha/Amboseli
We had a fantastic experience overall and a big part of that was thanks to our incredible tour guide, David. He was extremely knowledgeable, patient and kind throughout the entire trip. He went out of his way to make sure all eight of us were comfortable and happy, constantly checking in and doing his best to accommodate everyone’s needs. We had some challenging individuals in our tour group and he remained professional and upbeat. His enthusiasm and attention to detail made the safari memorable and I would absolutely recommend David as a guide.
The tour itself was exceptional value for money and very reasonably priced, especially considering the range of experiences included.
That said, I do feel that some aspects of the tour organisation could be improved. A hotel I had booked and paid a deposit for was changed at the last minute due to an office error, which was disappointing. On our first morning, we were collected at 7:30 a.m. but then spent nearly two hours at the booking office waiting for other clients which wasn’t and an ideal start to the trip.
We also found that a significant amount of our time was spent waiting around for other people. While it’s understandable that travellers have different interests, our group included people with very different itineraries, lengths of stay and destinations. This meant frequent detours to pick up or drop off other guests, which slowed everything down and wasted lots of time.
I would humbly suggest that the company consider grouping travellers with similar itineraries and durations together, or perhaps introducing fixed departure days. This would make the tours run more smoothly and ensure that guests make the most of their time and illuminate logistical errors. For example, we arrived at Nakuru National Park at 6:30 a.m. but had to wait nearly two hours before entry because the office had booked the tickets for the wrong day. These kinds of organisational errors really added up and I genuinely believe that with better planning, the entire itinerary could have been done comfortably in 6 days and 5 nights rather than the 7 days we spent.
Overall, we had a great trip and David was absolutely outstanding. With some improvements to the logistics and scheduling, this tour could easily go from good to exceptional.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
We had an amazing time and Lizzy was extremely helpful
We really enjoyed our safari - our safari guide, Martin, was very knowledgeable and ensured we got amazing views of all the wildlife. Lizzy was also prompt at responding to us and even helped us organise our plans in Nairobi after we finished the safari. Just to note that all the accomodation during the safari was different from what was advertised online (although the standard of accomodation seemed similar). This didn't bother us but I can imagine it would be upsetting if you had booked the trip based on this information.
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tatenda was very knowledgable and enjoyed the time we had with him travelling through Botswana.
We really enjoyed our time in Botswana. Elephant Sands being the highlight but generally an interesting time travelling from Chobe to Maun. Tatenda made the trip special with his knowledge overall of the country and is a very safe driver.
Shelton was a very pleasant and informative . Tour of Vic Falls very enjoyable.
We really enjoyed this tour but wonder if the Zambian brief visit is necessary as have to go through customs again etc.
The Tour we did was overall fantastic and would recommend it .