A special place where the best of African nature is coupled with luxury and personal hospitality
My wife and I were born in Zimbabwe/South Africa and have been fortunate enough to have had exposure to African wildlife and scenery from a very early age. We now live overseas and every year when we return we fit in a short break and Phinda has been our recurring preference. Each time we have stayed in the Forest Lodge camp, as our experiences have been nothing short of spectacular, and whils the temptation is to try something different, I also subscrive to when you find the best in class there is no need to change.
There are a number of things that make up a good wildlife experience and Phinda more than meets all of these criteria:
- the scenery is diverse, the multitudes of ecosystems at Phinda make it somewhat unique with the Sand Forests, the Grass plains, the rocky hills and the dense scrub in the north.
- The guides are superb, knowledgeable and engaging and I am continually staggered by the diversity of their knowledge and understanding of the animals, plants, behavioural patterns and local traditions. EVERY time we go, we learn something different...every time...I love that!
- The accomodations and the touch of personalisation and luxury of the camp. As I said, we live overseas now and have travelled a fair deal, what Phinda offers is a touch of class. The glass bungalows in the forest, the restuarant and bar areas, the infinity pool are all phenomemal
- The "unique" experiences. The evening bush dinners and mid game drive stops for drinks are fantastic. We also did the "Flight of the Fish Eagle" which took us north of the reserve and across to Sodwana Bay and back down the coastline whilst spotting whale sharks, turtles, hammerhead sharts and dolphins....superb
- The animals!!! By far the most impressive part of any trip. A lot of people write off the fact that a small piece of land has the big 5 all on hand, but at Phinda you certainly don't feel like it is a confined space. For visitors with a short amount of time it is fantastic that within a few game drives you can see what you hoped, and in our case we even got lucky with a daytime leopard sighting
One last comment.... I think one of the success factors of Phinda is that the pre-agreed rate and the lack of cash exchanging hands at dinners or on game-drives or at the bar ADD massively to the whole experience. The staff and guides seem to have a unwavering focus on making your stay as memorable and spectacular as possible. I think the absence of paying for things continually support this and guests can tip everyone at the end on departure.
Overall I can not speak highly enough of what Phinda offers. It is a special place, a chance to de-stress and take in the sounds, sights and smell of nature in it's finest. I have referred many people who have without exception had a fantastic time. It's a real gem!
Great safari and fully delivering what they promise
Very prompt response, punctual pick-up at the hotel and drop-off at the airport, pleasant staff (and doing their best to make sure you get to see all of the animals!)
All in all, very much recommended :)
A practical tip - make sure you have all the amount with you in USD cash. The exchange rates for the local currency was really bad at Maasai Mara, Kenya.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ask for Erastus for you tour guide - By far the best!
Beatrice and Mark planned this trip for my sister and I and did a great job selecting a vacation package that was best for us and in our budget. We did the tour from Boston to Nairobi and it was a Friday to Monday trip (10 days total) - flew from Boston to Amsterdam to Nairobi and then back.
Pre-Trip Preparation: My sister and I got a few shots before (Yellow Fever, Tetanus, Polio, and Hep A) - but they weren't necessary for us - but no harm getting them just in case. We also took anti-malaria pills before, during, and after the trip - total of 14 days (also not needed).
Need a passport - but don't get your Visa until you get there ($50 USD) - much quicker and easier than doing it ahead of time.
Packed: Money Protector, Cash, CC, passport, Tablet & plug, Blanket, bathing suit, long pants (linen are best because it’s hot then cold), sweatshirt/pants because it’s very cold t night, Unscented shampoo (keeps away bugs), Safari hat, 5 Toothbrushes & paste (in case one touches tap water), Tums, Advil, Dramamine, Imodium, Prescription Pills in original bottle, Sunglasses, Sunscreen, Power adaptors, backpack, Mosquito Net, 99% Deet Bug spray, Hand Sanitizer, Good Binoculars (I wish I had bought a Monocular), disposable Poncho, Travel Toilet Paper
When we arrived: got off plane, went through Immigration (got our visa), got our bags and then "went through customs" - we didn't really need to do anything except hand them a form. Then we walked outside and saw Erastus (our tour guide) holding a sign with our names. He brought us to the Safari truck and brought us to the hotel.
1st Hotel: Safari Park Hotel in Nairobi - great location and accommodations - lots of restaurants to chose from, rooms are very clean and nice, breakfast is included, pool, lots of weddings here - only negative was their beds were extremely firm.
Safari: woke up, ate breakfast, and Erastus was waiting for us in the lobby to take us to our first safari destination. We had 2 other people with us (an older couple) so there was plenty of room for us to put our stuff and relax on the long rides.
The ride to the first location is about 5 hours - but you really don't notice it at all because there are a few "stop-overs" to use the bathrooms and look at souvenirs and the people-watching along the way is fascinating.
Ashnil - Samburu: This is a tented camp - rooms are little huts with real doors but tent walls - you feel like you're really in a hotel room - nice beds and showers and they give you water bottles for tooth-brushing. The food all over africa is terrible if you're an american. We were told not to eat fruits, uncooked veggies, the water, or unpasteurized dairy products. That doesn't leave many options - so the food is the only thing I could complain about on this trip. There is a male elephant that comes right up to the electric fence daily - it's really cool. There are Vervet monkeys that try to get into your rooms at night - make sure you zip the tents closed! Beds are really comfortable and there is a generator to charge your phone/camera/laptops about 18 out of 24 hours a day.
The game drives here were amazing - the goal of the whole safari is to see the "big 5" and we saw a lion, (not one of big 5 but...)cheetah (with her cubs AND a kill), hippo (it's extremely rare to see any Hippo in Samburu), and a bunch of smaller animals and birds.
We went to the Samburu village - $30 per person extra - it was worth it. We got to see how they live off the land, and go into their little huts and see the school etc. They do try to sell you a bunch of souvenirs at the end - and I think it's better to buy gifts from them than the souvenir shops.
The drive from Samburu to Sweetwater was about 3 hours
Sweetwater: This is a tented camp with a lake in the middle (elephants and other animals gather at the lake after dark - it's very cool to see them up close while eating dinner). The tents are on stilts and you have to actually zip the entrance. There are a TON of weird beetles there - but no mosquitos. The rooms were cozy and comfortable beds - showers/bathroom was nice and they also give you water. The food was a little better. At every tented camp, food is included with your package but drinks (even water) is not. We just took waters from our Safari truck (there was enough for the week in there) and brought them to meals. Wifi is good here in the rooms and lobby.
Game drive: We saw black and white rhinos, stopped at the Black Rhino sanctuary and the chimpanzee sanctuary. Saw 2 others of the Big 5 - the African Cape Buffalo as well the rhinos. We saw more lions, zebra, ostriches, giraffes, and stopped at the Equator for pictures and a water demonstration.
From Sweetwater to Nakuru was about 4 hours.
Nakuru: This is a lodge hotel - no tents - very nice here. One tiny problem we had was that ALL of our rooms at the 5 hotels were so far away from the lobby - if you're handicapped or old, you should definitely ask for closer rooms up front. The lunch here was very good - the best meal of the whole trip. The rooms were comfy and clean and very nice. We heard a lion roar in the early morning hours! Here we were supposed to see FLOCKS of flamingos - but there were only about 30. Again, we saw rhino and buffalo and the other animals. Still, no leopard though (the last of the big 5 to spot for us).
Trip from Nakuru to Masai Mara was about 7 hours:
Ashnil at Masai Mara: The rooms are just like the ones at the other Ashnil camp - same food as well. Comfy beds and clean rooms. Food was just OK. Hippos are right outside the dining room - we saw a hyena as well. The game drive here was AMAZING! We saw a huge pride of lions and so many other animals. On our way out of the park on the very last day, we FINALLY spotted the leopard - and WITH A CUB! We were so happy! AND a cheetah jumped on our safari truck - sat there for about 1/2 hour looking for her next meal - not bothering us - was so cool! Before it jumped on our truck, she went on the roof of another truck, went over to the open sunroof and shat through the open roof onto the tour guide hahahaha. We got to step into Tanzania for a minute.
The ride back to Nairobi was about 6 hours with stop-overs at interesting locations.
Back at the Safari Park Hotel, we went to the Elephant Orphanage, a mall, a black market, and a little sight-seeing of Nairobi with our tour guide before flying back home.
I travel a lot - and this was by far the BEST trip I have been on. Erastus was an amazing tour guide - he knew so many interesting facts about the animals, Kenya, and the people who we saw along the way. It's very important to tip your tour guide - at LEAST $10/day per person - we recommend twice that if you have Erastus as your guide - he truly loves his job and is so good at it!
Some things to remember about Safaris and Kenya:
1. Don't expect to go into the game drive reserves and see animals roaming everywhere - you will see a few every 10-15 minutes - it's part of the fun trying to spot them. They are not just all hanging around everywhere - they are living in their natural habitat and hiding from prey/sun/us.
2. In Nairobi, people are pretty much the same as in the US - they have the same things and do the same stuff. They are more religious though - everyone goes to church on Sundays. However, the farther out you go - like to the game reserves, the people become more and more primitive with their houses, livestock, jobs, food, etc.
3. Ask as many questions as you can think of while on safari - your tour guide is full of information and there are just so many interesting facts about Kenya you would never think of.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Booking with Kenya Walking Survivors Safari
I booked a safari with KWSS on May 21/2014, after much searching online for a safari that would be able to take me to the places I wanted to see. It had been proving very difficult as a solo traveler to find a 14 day safari (I did not want to have to do two or more safari's with different outfits), most T/O's wanted you to do 5-7 days, then go on a another safari. I contacted Mr OT and sent him the list of places I wanted to hopefully see in my 14 day visit, he sent me back a safari that was 13 days and more of the places than I had planned. Two places I had not thought I could get to, he had tagged onto my safari (not knowing I wanted to see them). And, I had one day left at the end in Nairobi to fill up with the Nairobi area sights. Mr OT answered all of my emails at lightening speed, even when I know it was the middle of the night for him. My safari is not until October, so a safari review is pending. I am looking forward to sleeping alone in a tent with the great outdoors of Africa, and all of it's wildlife on the other side of the zipper!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
7 Day Gorilla Trek/Chimpanzee Trek/Safari
We took a 7 day Gorilla Trek/Chimpanzee Trek/Safari provided by Katona Tours in May 2014. We were extremely satisfied with the great job done by Katona in planning and conducting our trip. Our trip included Bwindi, Queen Elisabeth NP, Kibale NP, and Murchison Falls NP.
Katona (Jackie in particular) was extremely helpful and responsive to all of our questions. We were nervous about trying to coordinate a trip from the other side of the world, so we had many questions in the months leading up to it. One of the reasons we selected Katona was their quick and thorough answers to our emails and calls. In our planning, we made inquiries with several tour agencies, but Katona was clearly the best in this regard.
We had the same guide (Richard) for the entire week. He was cheerfully waiting at the airport for our late arrival (near midnight), drove us to all of the parks, conducted our game drives, and got us back to the airport in time for our flight. Richard was enthusiastic, friendly, and very focused on making sure we had the best experience/adventure possible. In addition, he provided good advice and interesting information about Uganda. And finally, he did a great job of driving on a lot of rough roads.
The lodges selected for us by Katona had some of the best food and definitely the best service we have had anywhere. By the time our day activities were completed, we were able to relax comfortably and safely. There are detailed lodge reviews for the places we stayed on TripAdvisor.com, which I believe are accurate. Our lodges were Trekkers Tavern (Bwindi), Twin Lakes (Queen Elisabeth), Kibale Forest Camp (Kibale), and Fort Murchison Lodge (Murchison Falls).
Katona was also a great help in compensating for several failures by our airline (Delta/KLM). Delta delivered us to Entebbe 24 hours late and lost one of our bags. Despite our late arrival, Katona was able to make sure we were able to see all of the things we had planned. They were also able to get our bag to us as soon as the airline finally shipped it. This was a very difficult task because we were about a 6 hour drive away from Kampala/Entebbe when the bag arrived. We can’t thank Katona enough for the help.
In summary, we would highly recommend Katona. The primary reasons were the quick and thorough responses when planning the trip, our satisfaction with getting to see everything we wanted, their ability to assist when we had severe airline problems, and our great guide/driver. Uganda is a much different world than where we live, and Katona made sure we had a great adventure.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent communication, organisation, advice and value for a bespoke 17-day safari / gorillas trip
Myself and my female friend, two professional women in our mid 30s, have booked a personalised 17-day safari trip for August this year.
We were both really impressed by the personal advice and service that Mr. Otieno gave us whilst we planned outer trip. He came up with a fantastic personalised itinerary that included all the things we wanted to do and see in the 17-days we have available - including all the best safari sites in Tanzania and Kenya, a visit to the gorillas in Uganda, and arrival and departure using the most convenient airports for us. He also advised us on the type of accommodation we might want, according to our personal preferences.
Mr Otieno was constantly available by Skype and by email to answer all my many questions! He showed excellent and patient communication and always responded immediately. He also gave us a fantastic price which met our budget requirements but still allows us to do all we had hoped for and more. He provided immediate receipts for the deposit transferred in advance.
We are very happy with the booking and organisational service that he has provided, and his communication and humour through the quite nerve-wracking decision-making process!
We can't wait to set out in August!
AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tour around Kenya - Big 5
Seven by far is a professional service provider and they have a facility of arranging travels in a very short span of time. Timely and speedy responses from them are guaranteed and the service levels are up to the mark. I would like to really recommend our guide - Nicholas, who is so well learnt and so passionate about his work. He knows Kenya inside out and is a friendly and approachable person. We really enjoyed our 6 days around Masai Mara, Amboseli and Lake Naivasha.
QA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Kenya ,Tanzania safari
12 Days Kenya and Tanzania. Awesome planning.
We chose the 12 Day Kenya Tanzania Cradle of Mankind Safari and cannot commend this company highly enough. Steve, Haron, Shafi(Tanzania) and Amy (Nairobi) really went out of their way to make our honeymoon Safari memorable. The organization was flawless,
We really got top level service and real value for money.
Evans and Shafi were our articulate and knowledgeable safari guides for (Kenya and Tanzania). We stayed at the Oltukai Lodge in Amboseli .
Our room had INCREDIBLE view of the Kilimanjaro.
We traveled to the Ngorongoro and stayed at Serena Lodge,Kati kati Serengeti, Mbalageti Camp ,Serena Maasai Mara and Lake Nakuru(Lion Hill again great food and welcome). The lodges and camps that we stayed at were great from the point of view,Location, game availability and food.
In Maasai Mara we stayed at Mara Serena which was a touch of luxury and well worth the extra. We then moved on to Entim Camp which again was luxury. This is a new camp and although based outside the park was a treat given the personal service we received (as only 2 of 4 people staying) and the enormous tent that we stayed in, completing new, safe and good to be in what was a genuine Masai community (owned and run by Kenyans). Africa Remote Safaris arranged every detail of the trip and did so for a price that was better than any other firm and the same price as reputable UK firms were offering for road trips in a far lesser standard of accommodation.
Steve was exceptional: well informed and welcoming throughout. This firm could not have been better in any way and can be thoroughly recommended. Finally we'd like to promote the fact that by booking and trusting local based firms such as this you are investing in a wonderful country that needs such trust and investment. You really can't lose as it gives you exposure to Local people, you are investing directly in the country and the level of service is undoubtedly better and cheaper than that offered by tour companies. If you're thinking of 'going safe' and booking with an international tour company please have a think and decide to trust our review and you won't regret it!
JP
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
By Far the best DMC on young dymanic minds
We booked the 7 day by far Best of kenya safari, and SS(sylvester sila),organised everything superbly and suprices on how a a company managed by a young mind wld be so so proffessional,,from the name seven by far,,wow ,book with them and u will get by far the best ever ,,,have 7th anniversary in advance''
Experience Professionals with friendly environment, understand needs on grass root levels and delivers results above expectation, Open Business minded people great to work with them.
LB
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It was a very good experience, I very much enjoyed the services provided.
Communication and services were very good. Timely pick-ups, drivers really consider the needs of the tourists along the way, the place we stayed at was clean and the food was good. The safari trips were very enjoyable.