CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Chaotic and not according to plan
Would absolutely not recommend doing a shared tour with this company or its sister companies.
Whatever company you book with (there’s a large number of them under the same umbrella), it doesn’t seem to matter, they all send you off with drivers where you’ll be flip flopped to different groups and drivers every day based on where they can fit you. Everyone in the groups were given different itineraries that were never followed. Usually you picture joining a shared tour where you and the other few passengers all get on the bus doing the same itinerary, for the most part. But no. I felt bad for the drivers having to juggle so many ppl with different plans and most ppl were frustrated as they didn’t get to do the itinerary they were given, and the drivers have to deal with all the frustrations when it’s not them who planned everything so poorly. And it got annoying being moved constantly to different vehicles and groups, sometimes twice a day, or waiting so long in roadside stop places to meet with other vehicles to switch passengers.
Your itinerary will change from what they tell you, and when you inquire about it they just say too bad you’re on a shared tour, no flexibility. Also they just seem to put random things in the itinerary that they must know are untrue. Like a few times writing “you will arrive at your next hotel in time for lunch”, yet the drive is double that time and lunch is on the road and we don’t arrive till evening. Unless the driver takes much longer routes than needed due to dropping different passengers off places etc. either way, receiving accurate info in the itinerary should be made a priority. Itinerary said arriving in Nakuru hotel in time for lunch then evening game drive. We didn’t even make it in time for game drive, and arrived at hotel at 7:30pm. No possible way with the route we took would we have made it in time for lunch at hotel. We left Masai around 8am. It also says this about amboseli but we didn’t leave till late morning and arrived at 7pm. And it said game drive in amboseli in afternoon yet we got no drive. Just drop to hotel. When I asked they said we’d make up for it by doing drive on last morning, since we paid $60 park fee, yet the “drive” was just racing from gate to gate lasting an hour and barely stopping for animals we briefly saw in our speedy exit.
They pack the vans to the max, despite website saying max 7 pax. It’s so cramped and sweaty, there’s not enough room for everyone to see out at the same time to see the animal sightings. So some will sit while others sweaty armpits are pushing into your face. One will sit in front with driver so not even having the option of standing to see out the pop up roof. The only way I’d do a shared tour again would be if the company guaranteed max 6 passengers.
The 12 hour days in the van are not ideal. Most lodges and everywhere I went in SA was sunrise, and sundowner drives. Leaving you some nice time at the lodge to rest and enjoy lunch. Even if your itinerary says different (like mine did), you will be doing 12 hour drive and not returning to lodge mid day. Mid day is so hot so it’s sweaty in that van with 8 ppl and the animals are often not out in the open when it’s that hot mid day.
There were a small amount of ppl I talked to on the trips that were happy with the way they organized. Well maybe not happy but they just were chill and didn’t mind. So if you’re very easy going and don’t really care about sticking to the itinerary provided, and don’t mind the constant change ups, and aren’t picky about personal space in the van and better viewings, then it would be fine for you! I know some backpackers and travellers who aren’t fussy and it would work out great for. I’m just not one of those people, as were many ppl on the trips. In one of the instances where we had to leave our vehicle to join another group as ours had to drive half the group elsewhere, we got into a Jeep. That was a much more comfortable vehicle, so I’d definitely recommend spending the extra to go in one of those.
MV
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Memorable Kenyan safari with super Safari Guide and Excellent Safari company.
Me and my friends travel to many destinations across the World. Safari Zest Tours (Kenyan Based Tour operator) is one of the best, well-run company I've ever worked with. Kelvin, our trip organizer, was fantastic! He was super responsive, fast and answered dozens and dozens of questions for us. He priced many different options for us and gave us great recommendations. Everything he recommended like where to go and where to stay was accurate and worked out great. I had a couple of special requests which I couldn't imagine can be met considering they were last minute, all were delivered without any hiccup. Safari Zest Tours was very organized and provided everything we needed from the time we landed at the airport until our guide dropped us off at the airport at the end of our trip. Our guide, Nathaniel, was also fantastic! He worked tirelessly to make sure we saw the animals we have always wished to see. He was also very knowledgeable on animal habits and where and when to see them. We spent 7 days with Nathaniel on various game drives across Amboseli and the Masai Mara. He was very patient with us and made plans every night for the following day. He let us decide on the type of game drives we wanted to do and when to go. A good guide is a must for a successful Safari. I found Safari Zest Tours also to be extremely affordable compared to other options. I can't recommend this company enough. They gave us a Memorable experience. You're ultimately the best travel partners.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari Tour Operator
I went on a 6-day safari with Tall Masai and it was really great, we were able to see the big 5 as well as many other animals.
Miti Mingi and Nyati Safari Camp were great accomodations. Citymax was average but still fine for its purpose.
Masai Mara, lake Nakuru and Amboseli were really amazing, but Lake Naivasha was not as exciting (if you have to leave one destination out, it would definitely be Naivasha for me).
Benson from Tall Masai was always responsive and willing to help.
Overall, definitely recommended!
PT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A local that knows its country and provides you the best experience you can ask for. Special.
I asked several companies, they have a very good price. The quality was over expectations. The car extremely comfortable, the guide super polite, speaks english perfectly, knows the area and is local to where i went. I had the privilege to see his village and be toured by a local kid that wants to become a guide. Joan even did an extra hour trying to find more elephants, and he did find them!
I did the gorilla in buindi, a must do. The game drive in queen Elisabeth was also amazing as we were able to spot lions, buffalos, hippos, dozens of diferent birds and elephants. The boat tour is also super beautiful, elephants bathing! The chimpaze tracking was challenging as we couldn’t find them, then we were surprised with more than ten on the floor just chilling next to us! A must do :)
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
15 day drive safari to Ruaha NP
We started in Dar es Salaam aiming to experience more of southern Tanzania by driving and taking in a number of interesting sites along the way to/from Ruaha NP. WG provided a modern 4x4 open top safari vehicle driven by the excellent Michael. We visited Iringa stone age sites, Boma museum, Uluguru mountain range, Makumi NP and Ruaha NP. WG organised accommodation to suit our budget guide including the excellent Ruaha River Lodge. The NP accommodation can be regarded as a budget option suited to backpackers and self catering travellers. The lodges provided good facilities at very competitive rates compared to Northern Tanzania NPs. WG remained in touch throughout and responded to our needs during the 15 day Safari. WG are local to Iringa/Ruaha and are well placed to guide your safari in this emerging NP.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Memorable safari.
The beautiful skyline was the peak of our safari as we landed in JKIA, Very welcoming tour guide who spotted me and my family from away and boarding the land cruiser 4*4 as we departed the airport off to the hotel, Check in was smooth and detailed, Next morning we entailed to the long awaited safari to Maasai mara and had an amazing stop over at viewpoint With spectacular views of Mount Longonot, very memorable souvenirs from the curio shop too. My wife and son were so amazed by the beautiful scenery in Maasai mara and thanks to our most hospitable tour guide who ensured we got to spot the big five and cracked jokes ,Ensured we enjoyed our safari to the latter. The Maasai culture and high jump was out of this world.
Memorable memories indeed by safari zest tours.Asante Sana
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari with a personal and humble approach
We could not have had a better experience than with tall masai for our safari. Our guide Eric is one of a kind. Humble, kind, funny, has so much knowledge about the animals and can spot them from an impressive distance. We were in good hands with his 15+ years of experience and we really liked how much he cared about the animals. We made a friend. Benson helped us arrange everything and met with us and is also such a nice and professional person supporting us With all our questions. Both of them being Masaii and happily sharing their experiences was so interesting and valuable for our experience. They have a very personal approach and I recommend tall masai for anyone looking to have their safari experience of a lifetime.
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
perfect trip. sammi is most professional and helpful guide I met
we had 6days,5night safari trip. it's wonderful because our guide took us to see a lot of animals,amazing landscapes.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very knowledgeable, extremely kind, lots of laughs and fun surprises, the absolute BEST.
Our 15 day safari with Amakula Tours was the most amazing experience of my life. From the beginning Amakula was quick to respond, and booking was smooth. They were also very helpful during the planning phase of our trip. There was a great variety of experiences including white water rafting, nature walks, game drives, community & school visits, wildlife trekking, coffee plantation, making banana gin, basket weaving, and dancing. We learned about Ugandan history, culture and customs and had fun interacting with the native people. Simon and Arafat were fun to be with, very knowledgeable, and extremely kind. We had the pleasure of meeting several other team members, and they too are great people. I highly recommend Amakula Tours and hope you have your adventure of a lifetime.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Book a tour with Safari Zest and you will not regret it! You will have an amazing experience!
I planned my holiday with Safari Zest Tours. I was accompanied by two friends who are wildlife and bird enthusiasts! We did a private jeep safari in Kenya. We started at Meru National Park where we observed the Big Five! It is also home to one of the largest populations of rhinos and Buffalos in Kenya. We saw hundreds of bird species including the critically endangered Hindes Babbler. It was an awesome experience. For a change of habitat and experience, we headed off to Kakamega Forest National Reserve in Western Kenya and we were able to spot over 100 unique species, including the critically endangered Hooded Vulture. We were also lucky to spot the venomous Gabon viper around the campsite! Petrifying and also exciting at the same time! After three days, we opted for a change of scenery and drove to Tanzania, stopping at the world's renowned extinct volcano in Ngorongoro. The views were amazing, and the hikes through the highlands were just spectacular. We interacted with the Maasai community that lives around the crater. Lots of wildlife viewing and scenic beauty were one of the highlights in Ngorongoro. We then flew back to JKIA after a long trip by Safari Zest Safaris. I highly recommend Safari Zest tours to anyone wishing to have a wonderful trip in any East African country.