MY
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent Operator
If you are reading my review, I can only advise you what I know or have been through.
If you are reading a lot of reviews in tripadvisor……still confused and don’t know where to start, my only advice is GO With a Trustable Operator and A Good Guide. I still stand by this Statement after my 1st Safari in Kenya.
We had a fantastic safari with Kenan Travel & Tours. Jane was very helpful and she organised our itinerary according to our needs. A month before our Safari was due to start, Nairobi was protesting (new tax imposed) and I wrote to Jane. She replied quickly and briefed us on the situation in Nairobi and advised us accordingly. Thanks, Jane
Jane is definitely a good operator. She is a good communicator and she adds a personal touch to her service by personally been present to welcome us and to brief us on the 1st day and she was there on our last day to check on us. She knows what she is doing. Good on you, Jane
We did 1 night in Lake Nakuru and 3 nights in Masai Mara. We were hoping to see The Big 5 and we weren't disappointed at all.
Edward, our guide, was very knowledgeable and worked very hard to secure good viewing spots for us to view The Big 5…..Hakuna Matata!!! We weren't disappointed at all with him……….had a great time and could not ask any more from him. That guy really worked hard for us. Hand on tight to your safety handles……………he will zoom to secure you the right and best viewing spot in the quickest time!
We will be back………..river crossing, please!
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing wildlife, friendly people, beautiful beaches!!
We took an 8 day/7 night safari with SafariSoles followed by 5 days on Zanzibar. Both were amazing, 100% positive experiences!! SafariSoles was a fantastic company that let us design our own safari with very nice and comfortable hotels and tent cabins at an incredibly reasonable price. Our driver and guide - Kennedy - was also fantastic. He knew where to look for wildlife, when to stay and watch, and when to rush to another location to catch something rare. He was very knowledgeable about the wildlife and the ecosystems and just a great all around guide. We also loved Zanzibar, both Stonetown and Matemwe Beach. We stayed at Emerson Spice hotel in Stonetown and Villa Kiva on Matemwe Beach. Both were great. We highly recommend the fish tasting menu at Emerson Spice's rooftop restaurant. It was really delicious and an incredible bargain. Villa Kiva is also great. Right on the beach with beautiful views and gardens, lots of nice places to relax, great food in the restaurant, and very helpful at arranging a dolphin boat/snorkeling strip. We loved Tanzania and would happily go back.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Compulsive Liar
To be clear, this is NOT a review of our visit to Kenya and Tanzania. This is a review of Features Africa Journeys. We took a 12 day safari tour and the experiences were amazing. Highly recommend visiting Kenya and Tanzania. Just don't do it with features Africa Journeys. The owner, Karanja, downplayed a lot, and made promises he did not keep. The man seems nice in person, but he's actually a shady salesman and a compulsive liar
Save yourself a lot of stress and discomfort and use someone else
Here's an abbreviated list of my issues. More detail below:
1. After first payment customer service and communication ceased.
2. Changing accommodations 3 TIMES after final payment without telling us. To lodges of signficant less quality.
3. Significantly over-promised the amount of space in the safari jeep.
4. Consistent errors in hotel reservations and park passes, risking use getting kicked out of parks.
5. Significantly downplaying the amount of time spent traveling between lodges leading to a lot of missed activities and no down time as promised in the itinerary.
There were plenty of other issues I had with them but my post is already too long.
Here's the details on the above:
1. Initial communications were great! Responsive, friendly, helpful. After our 1st deposit communications came to an end. Days of questions going unanswered, despite our literal begging for a response. The last invoice a month late. We all started researching the company because we were beginning to think it was a scam. Communications did not improve during the trip when we started having issues, detailed below.
2. Changed lodges on us, not once, not twice, but 3 TIMES!!! Without telling us!!! Over half of our trip!!! First lodge added 2 hours one way to our drive. The second lodge he changed without telling us, again, out of our way, and it was a DOWNGRADE. We were finally going to have a couple days where we would have the afternoon off (per our contracted schedule), and I was looking forward to the pool at the lodge we were promised. This place, no pool, no power, no hot water, my mom's phone would not connect to the wifi. No afternoon off. After the 2nd change we even had a discussion with Karanja about it, and again he didn't tell us then about the 3rd change. We found out when we drove past the lodge we were supposed to be at. After explicitly asking earlier that day. Another downgrade, another 2hrs out of our way. Of course the last lodges of the trip so we got to end our vacation on a sour note.
3. Said there would be plenty of room for 6 in the jeep, including the 3 people were of above average height. We were all uncomfortable and in pain, even the shorter people. I have bruised elbows and knees from the drives. Told by another tour driver that the trucks really weren't meant for more than.
4. The first hotel reservations were the wrong dates. We had to pull teeth to correct it despite being painfully explicit how many nights were needed. Find out half way thru the trip our Serengeti permit was wrong too. We were only paid in full for 2 nights instead of the planned 3. At 4pm the day before we would have been forced to leave the park, he sent us a message LYING that it's all figured out, only to find out it was paid 3 hours after his message from our driver. And then we had to drive 7 hours out of our way the next day to pick it up. At the end of our trip, turns out we don't have permit for Lake Nakuru Park either!!! Karanja claimed that "the system needed to be refreshed" but we had caught him in SO MANY LIES at this point we knew it was just more BS.
5. Drives between lodges that we were told were only going to take 3 hours took 8 hours, drives that were supposed to take 6 hours took 11 hours. All of it on water-logged, potholed, lose-your-lunch dirt roads. For 11 hours!!! We missed promised sunset dinners, assuming we didn't skip them completely due to exhaustion, there were lodges we paid a lot of money for that we never got to see during the day, almost no down time at any point, and many lunches were extremely late, 2 or 3 pm. One of our drivers said he'd never work for Features again because of how miserable the timeline was. Even when Karanja was driving us personally, he'd look us in the eye and LIE, telling us 10min when there was 2hrs of driving left.
SK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
5* unforgettable experience
The safari with Buffalo Steps Adventures was truly an unforgettable experience for us. Everything went smoothly, from the pick-up right at our accommodation, through the visits to the two safari parks, Tsavo East and West, to our return.
Our guide Geoffrey was a very friendly guy who made an effort to show us all the interesting places and animals living in the safari. In two and a half days, we had the opportunity to see a large part of this fascinating country and a great variety of animals, some even up close.
Thank you once again.
Adam & Barbora :)
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable and very professional in their line of work
We travelled 400kms to Western Uganda in Rubiriz District with Traford Safaris. The car had the most important and crucial amneties like the sockets to keep our devices powered up to capture the great moments plus a fridge to keep our drinks cold and fresh.
The Driver/Tour guide was professional, respectful and resourceful.
Fantastic experience on my first time journey
CN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing tour company！And an Amazing guild！
A memorable journey, I met an excellent company. Particularly, I met a fantastic tour guide, Edward, who showed us many interesting animals, including all the Big Five. I hope that next time we visit Tanzania, it will still be Edward who takes us to continue exploring the beauty of Tanzania!
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wow, Leisure Way Adventures provided us with a fantastic, unique experience.
We are a couple from the UK. Having done some research we chose to book a 7 day safari with Leisure Way Adventures. We where a little apprehensive organizing the trip ourselves without the assistance of a UK travel agent. Stylus was quick to respond to all our questions & even met us at our hotel in Nairobi & introduced us to our driver Robert. The trip an absolute success from start to finish. Robert was an excellent trustworthy driver, who was able to spot animals & get us into prime viewing positions. We would have no hesitation in recommending Leisure Way Adventures to anyone who is thinking of booking a Safari.
DE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Indescribably beautiful, individual, private safari - exactly as we imagined it
We had two unforgettable days with an incredible number of animal sightings. Most of the time even without any other tourists or jeeps! The guys customised the safari exactly to our wishes. From the first second to the last they wanted to show us as much as possible. Both guys, the driver and the tour guide, were very keen to see the animals we mentioned. They also have an enormous amount of knowledge about the park, nature, plants and of course all the animals. We had many great conversations with the tour guide.
Anytime again with pleasure - unrestricted recommendation!!!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Thank you Kili Heroes
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro was an adventure of a lifetime, and I owe it all to Kilimanjaro Heroes. I took the 7-day Lemosho Route, and from start to finish, the experience was nothing short of incredible. The guides were not just knowledgeable but also endlessly encouraging, sharing their expertise with patience and care. They knew the mountain like the back of their hands, and their confidence gave me the strength I didn't know I had.
The meals prepared by the cook were a true highlight of the journey. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were always delicious and varied, which is not something I expected on a mountain trek. Every meal felt like it was made with thoughtfulness and a touch of home, giving us the energy we needed to push forward.
And then there were the porters—absolute superhumans. Watching them carry all that weight up and down the trail left me in awe. Their dedication and strength were inspiring, and they did it all with a smile, making the tough moments feel a little lighter.
What truly sets Kilimanjaro Heroes apart is how they treated us like family. They weren’t just guiding us up a mountain; they were with us every step of the way, rooting for our success, caring about our journey to the summit as if it was their own. It wasn’t just about reaching the top; it was about the connections, the support, and the belief they instilled in us that we could do it.
If you’re thinking of climbing Kilimanjaro, go with Kilimanjaro Heroes. They make you feel like more than just a climber—they make you feel like family. This journey was more than a hike; it was a transformative experience, and I couldn’t have asked for better people to share it with.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Breathtaking experience!
My girlfriend and I just came back from this Safari and had an amazing time. The guides were extremely professional and friendly and didn't hesitate to show us the best that Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngorongo Crater had to offer.
We've booked the 4-day Safari and we're lucky enough to get to see all of the big five and the ugly five as well :) We've booked the camping trip and the camp sites were rustic but we'll maintained, clean and the food was freshly made for each breakfast, lunch and dinner. Highlight was the campsite near Ngorongo Crater with Zebras in our campsite and a breathtaking view of the sunrise over the crater.
I can only thank Damian, Alex, Pius and the whole Suricata team for taking care of us over these four days and can recommend booking this trip to everyone!