20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Big Five Up Close!
My friend and I from Canada went on a 5 day/4 night safari and it was more than I expected! We hit Tarangire, Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater. The driver from KIA was right on time both ways, very reliable. Our tour guide was amazing, he was able to get us in the best positions for viewing all the wildlife. We saw all of the big five and so much more, even caught some of the wildebeest migration. The food was great, something different and delicious each night. Fantastic tour! Highly recommend these guys. Nothing better than a giant elephant crashing your camp at night.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A good follow-up of my plans for the safari
I loved their quick response, friendly staff and affordable prices. My safari was excellent. A world class tour operator.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great introduction to wildlife of Kenya.
We were very pleased with our guide and upgrade to an old but sturdy 4 wheel drive. Our accommodation at Ol Pajeta was great and good in Nakuru and Masai Mara. We tried hard to spot all of the Big 5 but the leopard eluded us. We had all animals and birds identified for us and enjoyed the safari immensely. Our only problem came before the tour, when we were told our deposit had been taken back by our bank. This was quite difficult to deal with as we were left wondering for a few days what was going on. Request for a receipt for deposit were ignored. However all ended up well, though we could have done without the stress before the safari.
Very bad experience with Elkan Safaris
After paying upfront for a certain itinerary, the manager of the company (and I believe in fact sole employee as well) tried to change the itinerary and duration of the trip without any logic explanation
upon arrival at Serengeti Gate, we learnt that the funds to pay permits where not available. Of course, the operator lied to us saying that this was due to a system failure and ask if we could do the "favor" of paying for the entrance again and get a refund from him after finishing the safari. After 3 hours assessing options at the very gate (and subsequently wasting the time that was scheduled for safari that day), we have decided to pay only for one day, without any certainty that the day after the operator would not be coming up with the same request
thanks to the manager of the driver (a subcontractor), we could finish our safari without major incidents, apart from the inconvenience of having to turn up every single day (of a total of 5) to the offices to extend the permit as the moneys we had paid in advance were never deposited as they should have been
back to Arusha, the manager of Elkan Safaris tried even not to pay the money he owed us and we had to threaten him with reporting to the police to get our money back, which we finally did some 3 hours before going back to our homeland
I am not wasting my time trying to sort out whether all this behaviour was ill-intentioned or simply careless, all I can say is that I strongly recommend avoiding the services of this tour operator if you want to save yourselves some headaches
35-50 years of age
My Highest Recommendations
Instinct Safaris, namely Niels, made it possible for me and my girlfriend to hike the Mt. Nyiragongo volcano in DRC about a week ago. I understand the park has just reopened, so I am glad how smoothly visa approval and all important bookings went. After visiting DRC from Rwanda, we further connected to Uganda (Queen Elizabeth National Park, Bwindi National Park, and Kibale National Park) for more wildlife and a second mountain gorilla track. Our guide was helpful and knowledgeable throughout :-) We recommend this company and if we travel to the region again, they are certainly the agency we will go with.
Markus
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic Safari
We (two friends) used World Tours and Safaris in November for a 6 days safari (Tarangire- Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro). Having consulted different websites and reviews, we decided to contact WTS. Richard came quickly back and gave the most economical package according to our demands, exactly as we wanted.
He always responded quickly to our messages and provided clear explanations.
Richard is a trustful man who keeps his word: we supposed to share the safari with two travellers. They did not arrive on time but this fact has not changed our safari program or the price previously agreed.
Our guide Aaron was gentle driver, he had good knowledge of animals and landscape and found always the best places to spot the animals. The food was abundant and delicious thanks to our cook Gady.
We had a fantastic safari and we keep excellent memories thanks to the good organisation and the commitment of the team. THANK YOU!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Excellent Experience | Budget Safari
Fransisca at Nature Responsible Safari organized a 5 star safari trip for us at a 2 star price. Not only was the safari and accommodation PERFECT, but the best part (speaking as a seasoned budget traveler) was that she took care of every last detail. No bus transfers or haggling about prices with the lodge - literally everything was set-up in advance, without a hitch. Her staff also took excellent care of us on the road, catering to my ridiculous food allergies and requests to stop and take photos every other minute! I highly recommend NRSC for all travelers!
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.
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Family trip to Ngorongoro
Tasneem was very prompt and pleasant in our communications to set up the trip. I also had to call while we were already on the trip for a few emergencies, and Zulfikar was extremely helpful over the phone. I would highly recommend working with Karibu again.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Outstanding Safari, Outstanding Driver/Guide, Outstanding Service
~ I've been on four safaris with Jocky Tours, in August, 2011 and January, 2013 and April, 2014 and August, 2014. All were arranged by Ms. Minneh Wangare with careful attention to detail. Mine's patience and consideration made the entire safari planning process comfortable and efficient. All of the safaris were outstanding, thanks to the skills of guide/driver Anthony Gitau. He knows how to spot animals and makes it possible to take world-class photographs. The Big Five and numerous other species were seen. Jocky Tours provides great service and great safaris. Contact Minneh for details, as she'll help you in every way possible.