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).
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Good, not great
We visited Madikwe in August 2023, with probably too high expectations given the length of our stay (5 nights) at Rhulani (very good lodge with great staff) and the reputation of the reserve.
We ended up quite disappointed on the predator side, since both leopard and cheetah eluded us and we did not even see spotted hyenas.
We were also expecting good wild dog sightings, but we just caught little more than a glimpse of a running pack after sunset.
However, we had various good lion sightings and we did manage to see a brown hyena.
Regarding other game, plenty of elephants, zebra, wildebeest, steenbok and impala. Very good white rhino sightings, briefly saw a black rhino in the dense bush. Some giraffes and a klipspringer.
No trace whatsoever of rarer antelopes like eland, gemsbok, tsessebe or red hartebeest.
Overall, a good reserve but we felt the variety of game was far from impressive compared to Kruger or Okavango.
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.
NO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Sabi Sabi Private Game Reserve by Anne
Sabi sabi Game reserve is a grest place and you get to go very close to the animals. The accommodation where we stayed was also perfect. I would however consider going two different places for a safari, combining sabi sabi with another place where there are more water spots where animals gather (especially in winter time) and it is more likely to see for example big herds.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tanzania was great, Can not recommend them for Kenya.
It was a great time in Serengeti and entire Tanzania, The crew in Tanzania took really good care of us, If i need to review just Tanzania I can give 5/5 rating.
In Kenya we did our game drives with one of their partner company and Not a good experience.
For Tanzania: 5/5 rating
For Kenya : 1/5 rating.
IN
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Well planned trip but choice of accomodation was poor
It was a memorable week in Kenya considering a first time experience with African Safari. However, things didnt turn out the way it was expected. Firstly poor accomodation choices haunted the stay with no power in accomodations at Amboseli and Masai Mara where we sometimes woke up in pitch dark rooms in the middle of the night and couldnt charge our camera and mobile devices. On top that we had zero to poor sightings of the main 4 (Lion, Leopard, Cheetah and Rhino) which may be our bad luck or poor guide routes not sure. Also extreme long road trips every day were very tiring. I would suggest spend a couple of days or more at each location to get proper sightings as well as better rest between game drives.