FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Budget experience for MidRange price
First of all - National Parks are amazing!
However, this was no value for the price. I paid midrange and got budget service.
Generically, on the 7D trip 3 middle days are resting. No game ride in the morning before leaving Masai Mara so we arrived early to the next city and nothing to do. Next day after the morning ride there is the optional lake but again quite early finish especially if you dont want to pay for the lake extra. Lastly, again morning park and full day just driving. No sunset game. These 3 days could have been 2 and use the extra day for amboseli/masai mara or anything. Amboseli “full day” is 9.30-16.30 only.
However, more than anything your guide can make it the best experience or the worst. Mine was the latter - Castro. I see some other reviews mentioning his communication skills.
The guide’s communication was lacking. He was not giving us information. Which made the experience lesser. He was straight out annoyed when clarifying questions were asked. Especially about times. 30 min difference is huge when you wake up almost every morning at 6am.
We got very little information about the animals, except the name.
Then, he used our car as a taxi as well between cities.
The promised 1l water was not given. When asked the guide got aggressive. Like you got some in the hotel. That is none of your business. I paid 1l water a day with you and your company.
Everyone in my group paid budget and only me the mid range category. Really have the impression that I also got the budget driver.
Cherry on the top, he started to punish me. Dropping the others first eventhough my hotel was before and making an extra hour of bumping road. He thought I wouldn’t notice but I have GPS and connection.
Finally, I was told 1300$ after paying the deposit they told me 1300$ more to pay. It was quite unpleasant surprise as I checked at least 5 times for the price.
I would have expected higher standards from KATO member company.
RO
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Mixed
Overall, the adventure went well. In detail, we saw wild animals - that's why we went to Tanzania in the first place - and sometimes they were so close... right next to the jeep's front wheel OMG. We had Mister T, Lewis, Silas as our guides and Piu as a chef in Ngorongoro. On the first day of the safari, the jeep had issues when it exceeded 35 km/h, and we lost a few hours trying to fix it at a Mad Max-style service center :). The response was that it could be repaired if taken elsewhere for a part, and all of us in the group chose to continue using it as it was. On the second day, a different jeep, a different guide, and a different group: this time, the gearbox broke down right before entering the park, before the ticket gate. After a few phone calls done by Silas, we were told that it would be fixed in an hour. After an hour, we were told it would take another 2 hours. After the first hour of the two, we were informed that we would receive a replacement vehicle around 3 - 4:30 pm. After a while, Silas managed to persuade another driver (just entering the park) from a different company to take each of us to our respective accommodations - we drove for 6 hours with only a few stops because it was already getting dark, and the driver didn't have time to return back safely. The vehicles were not properly checked, which posed risks (what if we were already near the group of relaxed lions we photographed next to the front wheel? What if the vehicle didn't start? I'm sure Silas would have found solutions, but I would have preferred not to have these worries :). The first night of accommodation was at Boma Lodge - excellent lodging and food. The second night was at An'gata Lodge - MASH-style tents, a dedicated team - we were escorted to and from the tents by a team member using walkie-talkies; good food. The third night was at a camping tent, and the toilet/shower area needs improvements. Good food cooked by Piu. During the night we were visited by zebras OMG :) I'm glad that, overall, the safari was a success. We took memorable photos/videos and returned safely, with no unpleasant incidents regarding food. I can recommend improvements in communication between guides and tourists AND regular technical checks of the vehicles. Regarding tips, I agree with it up to the point where there is so much pressure that it can be believed that salaries are not paid from the money tourists pay for the safari (and it's not a small amount), and guides rely solely on tips. I hope that is not the case.
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari was a great experience, but it could be better with a better service
Contact with the provider was minimal. I had to ask for all the information and all updates.
We were traveling as a family, but in the first lodge we had to stay in 2 rooms located far away from each other and with completely different standard. Our kids get sick during the journey. They had stomach problems. The driver helped us to get to the doctor. He was also sick.
The driver had good knowledge about animals, but sometimes he was lost. Like he was not aware where we stay last night, or how to get to the first lodge in Tsavo West. We had impression that our car was always leaving the parking as last one in the morning and that all other cars were passing us during the journey, so we always had late lunch and were in a hurry. Also, our start from Mombasa should be earlier but we were told to be ready at 8 AM.
Despite of above issue safari was a great experience, but it could be better with a better service.
IL
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Pleasant to deal with the management, but the guide left something to be desired
Management was fine, price was reasonable. We had a half day safari; it was our first. The guide took extended breaks during the day and acted annoyed when we asked questions
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
a safari experience that deviated from the expected itinerary
I had booked a seven-day safari with Super Eagles, upgrading my accommodation for added comfort. Unfortunately, the journey didn't unfold as expected. Sharing a minibus with five strangers from different agencies was unexpected, and accommodation issues even led to a missed booking. The lodging arrangements didn't match the initial plan. Despite the prime wildlife viewing times being sunrise and sunset, our schedule rarely accommodated this. Additionally, the addition of two new travelers resulted in a shortened visit to Nakuru Park, allowing them to catch another minibus. Two new travelers joined later, forcing us to cut short our Nakuru Park visit so they could catch another minibus.
HU
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The tour operators were nice and helpful.
When we organised the trip, our correspondent was correct and flexible. The drivers were also nice and helpful, and really tried to make the most of our trip. We saw a lot of animals (rhinos, buffalos, giraffes, zebras, lots of birds, antelopes, etc). The hotels, restaurants, boat trip included were all fine.
However, our car broke down as soon as we arrived to the National park and we had to wait hours for replacement in a camping. When we got a replacement car, which we had to use for the rest of the safari, its roof was not working properly and it was smaller, so one of us had to sit in the middle (not ideal for seeing things). Its back door was regularly stuck so at the end of the trip we almost couldn't get our luggage out. I think a safari firm should either have working cars, or a working emergency plan for such cases (and possibly both).
NL
We had a wonderfull touroperator
Unfortunaly we did not visit any of the lodges from planning. Because we were together with other travellers and they had not the midservice safari. We had to go with them to the camps for breakfast and sleeping in other lodge. It was a disappointment to visit not the planned lodges.
May be planning might be better and it should be nice to put the same travellers on the trip (all midservice for example)
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A Mixed Experience
The company was easy to communicate with before the tour, and they met me on time. The price was competitive and that’s what I cared for most. This was my first safari and overall I loved getting close to the animals. The driver got us right up to some lions and I could hardly believe that we were just next to them! The negative is the guide watched a lot of videos on his phone when I wish he could have told me about the animals.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Smooth booking but tour guide was very unprofessional.
Booking process with Denise was very well done but this is just the tip of an iceberg to have an enjoyable safari.
Day one - our tour guide was extremely late. He advised us to arrive at pickup location at 6.30 am but didn't arrive till past 8am. Worse, we couldn't reach him on contact provided by Born Fire. The guides lack of professionalism was evident right away since he got into it with one of the tourists stemming from frustration of waiting on pickup.
I didn't feel safe riding on the Land Cruiser after the guide explained his late arrival was due to fact that he had arrived at Nairobi city same morning following a seven day tour from Mombasa
ES
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good price and good experience overall in Kenya, but not a professional and kind service
In general, I give Apodiformes a 3/5 because the trip through Kenya as a whole has been a spectacular experience, and all the hotels included in the package and the drivers and guides were very professional, friendly, punctual and helpful.
Also, I found the total price for the package to be very good, beating many competitors' offerings, so if you want to save money, Apodiformes might be worth it.
But I have to reduce the score because all the interactions with Silas -responsible for Apodiformes- during the trip were rather a disaster, showing little professionalism and little kindness at all times. Although he was always very efficient before the trip, answering quickly via WhatsApp and adapting the schedule to our different requests, everything changed as soon as we arrived in Kenya:
Things already started badly with our arrival at Nairobi International Airport at 4:00 am, when there was no one to pick us up at the arrivals gate. Silas did not answer the phone, so after half an hour of waiting in the cold and with a 3 year old we had to take a taxi on our own to the booked hotel. When we arrived at the hotel, where we were very well received, we were finally able to contact him and he arrived minutes later. There were no apologies, just bad excuses that he was waiting “at the wrong terminal” (so why was his phone turned off?).
The next day we were going on safari. We had agreed with Silas to have a guide who spoke Spanish, but when we met the assigned guide he barely knew a few words. In the end it wasn't a problem because we were able to communicate well in English (and the guide -Leroy- was otherwise a fantastic person and a very professional and concerned guide that took very good care of us), but this lack of compliance with what was committed in the case of a client who didn't speak English would have been a big problem.
On the other hand, we had requested a child seat in the car that we would use to travel to Nakuru and Masai Mara and carry out the safari. The child seat was there, but it couldn't be attached to the car seat belts. We solved the ballot by buying a rope in a shopping center and tying the child seat with it. A messy solution that of course made us travel through the dangerous roads in Kenia feeling constantly anxious for the safety of our three-year-old.
In addition, that same day Silas told us he had unilaterally changed our accommodation on the Naivasha stage (from Sopa Naivasha Lodge to Simba) because at the Sopa lodge "there had been complaints of food poisoning". In the end it was not a problem because the Simba turned out to be very good but it seemed unprofessional to inform us of this at the last moment and base the change on a reason that sounded like an invention (no one else mentioned these problems in the hotel's opinions on Internet) .
At the end of the Safari, when we had scheduled a visit to a Maasai village, they wanted to charge us again for the visit even though the agreed program specified that it was included. We had to advance the payment and then claim the refund from Silas.
At the end of the Safari and going to the beach, we arrived at the Baobab Resort hotel, finding a standard room booked, although a superior room was specified in the agreed plan. We had to speak with Silas to demand that he negotiate with the hotel for an upgrade as agreed in plan.
On our return from Diani Beach to Nairobi, despite our flight being late, we had to wait almost an hour in the Wilson airport exit car park for Silas to show up to pick us up. It seems there was "traffic" but no other drivers who came to pick up the dozens of people who arrived on that flight had any trouble getting there on time.
Anyway, despite all these messes the thing could be forgiven if there had been sincere apologies and explanations in each case, but Silas did not consider to apologize for any of these inconveniences even once. He even did not ask us how the safari and other experiences had gone at any time, nor did he write to us to ask how the return home was, being unfriendly and showing total disinterest. A pity that our main contact and organizer of the trip was the least kind and considerate person that we have encountered in our trip to Kenya, otherwise fantastic.