35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great adventure at Masai Mara
We have been to Kenya, for a safari in Maasai Mara as a part of our honeymoon trip in February 2018. It was our first time and we didn’t know what to expect.
Wildebeest Safaris organised for us a package that included pick-up at our hotel in Nairobi, Land Cruiser with a pop-up roof, a private driver/guide for 3 days, 2 Night in Savora Mara camp (full board service), drive back to Nairobi. The lodge was amazing, staff was friendly and food was fresh and abundant.
The drive from Nairobi to the camp is very long and the road very bumpy (it will give you as they call an African Massage) but the driver was really professional, friendly and very cultivated which help us to enjoy the trip. Also, you will start to see Zebra, Antelope, Wildebeest... when you enter the Maasai Mara reserve which is a while before the park entrance which gets you in the mood. On our way back, the second driver mentioned to us that if we had a minivan we could drive faster to Nairobi which is worse knowing in advance.
We manage to do a game drive every day, and on our first day, we spotted a Black Rhino at 4km of our camp entrance, only after 5min the game started, which is extremely rare. Luck was definitely with us as we saw the big 5 and more even though that was not the hight season and we spent a very short amount of time in the park. Most of the animal we saw had babies with them which was really cute! The one we watch the most were the Elephants, which sometimes cross the road front of the cars, but we also got very close to Lions, Cheetah, Cub Hyenas, Leopard…. Our very skilled and humble guide was very attentive to our need & wish and he has been an extra mile to make our dream happen. Compare to others driver our guide respected the rules ( speed, distance to animal...) of the park for which we have a lot of respect and I hope that all guides were doing the same. With a bit of patience, it’s totally possible to respect the animal and still be in a very good spot to take a photo. I encourage everyone to be aware of those rules and ensure their driver respect them.
Our last day with Wildebeest was a proper adventure. Because of a miscommunication between Noah and his team, we understood that our guide has been being double booked. Therefore we had to change a bit our plan, we had to reorganise our the day which was a bit annoying because we were rushed to go back to the airport and we understood that lunch was actually not included in the package as we thought. We changed of the driver on the way, when we stop at a souvenir shop.
The second driver took us to Lake Naivasha on our way back to the airport, which was a nice surprise but an expensive and quite scary experience. We did a tour of the lake on a small wood boat at sunset, and our motor got stuck in a fish net. Even Though the incident was fixed after 10/15min when the lake is agitated, the night is falling and you know that if you swim in the wrong direction you will meet an upset hippo it’s pretty scary. Also, the timing was not really well thought and because of this stop, our driver was stress that we miss our plane and was rushing on the road which made us feel unsafe as the road in Kenya are dangerous and drivers reckless. We actually saw few accidents on the way. We recommend wildebeest team to be more upfront and clear about the consequences of the different options they give to their client so we can make a more informed decision and give them the opportunity to drive more wisely.
Overall we had a good experience with Wildebeest and we are happy to recommend them but make sure you understand all the consequences of your request as they will say yes to everything to not lose a client but you might regret some of your choices. A good idea is to avoid the pick-season during which drivers overwork, many accidents happen and you will probably end up queuing behind many cars before to be able to see the animals.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great value for money
Communications were great with foot slopes. We got picked up and dropped off at the airport and they provided us with 2 extra nights at the hotel free of charge. The hotel in Arusha (Venice Hotel) was clean, had AC and even hot showers. The food was average but this was to be expected. The safari itself was excellent. Be prepared to spend a lot of time in the jeep getting to and between different parks. Having said that our driver had 15 years of experience which meant that we saw all the animals (including the big 5) we wanted to and had a fantastic time.
NL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfect break from the city
Was able to see a lot of wildlife in a short time, during a one-night stopover in Nairobi. First idea was Nairobi NP to be a kind of extended zoo, but is really a vast place so close to the city, where you can easily spot wildlife (no elephants). Driver / guide was very flexible.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Staff and Arrangements, Responds to eMails, Highly Recommended
I planned the entire trip with Chris over the email. He responded promptly to all questions. To reduce my cost, I paid in cash (a mix of $s, Rwanda Francs, and Uganda Shillings) at the start of the 3D/2N Gorilla Safari. I was picked up promptly from Kigali and brought over to the border where my guide/driver Steven picked me up and we continued to the Rushaga Gorilla Heaven Lodge where I stayed for 2 nights. First day was relaxation. Second day we started early and left for Bwindi NP where Steven arranged the easiest trek for me. The trek was [still] arduous [for me] and would have been better to have a porter who can carry your stuff as well as assist on the rough terrain. All of us slipped and fell several times over but that was part of the fun too! However, to their credit, all the staff on the trek were very helpful. Seeing Gorillas in their natural habitat was a magical experience. Since we were given the easiest trek, we were back by 11:30 AM, while many other groups hadn't even reached their assigned Gorilla family. Rest of that day was relaxation and on the final day, we started early and after lunch and stopover at Equator, we were in Kampala by 5 PM. Steven was very helpful, professional, and well-known to all. He answered all my questions and was knowledgeable.
This was a very enjoyable, relaxed and slow-paced safari. I highly recommend Encounter Africa Safaris to all - they did a great job!
One improvement suggestion: please include coffee as well as cold-drink as part of the lunch on the third day.
IT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
TRULY INTERESTING EXPERIENCE
The tour has been very well organised, we got all the necessary info before leaving. On site we found 2 great guides (Ali and Mau) who gave us lots of explanations and has been very friendly. We were lucky enough to see all the big 9! The accommodation in the lodges and tent camps has been as expected, clean and very well organised, very good food (good variety and choice). It was our first safari, our expectations have been met. One of our cars had an accident so we had to stay all in one for half a day but we were able to continue our tour without missing any parts (poor Ali had to work hard on the car!).
many thanks, a great holiday!|
BR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Our trip was worth every penny
We enjoyed our trip to Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara. My family and I were received at the airport by the driver/guide who I must say seemed upbeat about his work. He briefed us about the entire safari and patiently listened to our queries etc. We were able to see most of the wild animals during the game drive, the scenery around the park was breath taking. We were amazed about the variety of bird species that we saw. We plan to another holiday in Tanzania and hope it will be as good as the one in Kenya.
Thank you StarMount safaris, you were very professional! see you next year same time
US
nice one
Tanzania was simply an amazing country to visit , price was a bit pricey but , was totally worth it
NL
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
We are happy with the trip and bookings, and very positive about our guide and driver, he was top!
A little misunderstanding at the start, but a very accurate and good communication during the trip
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lots of wildlife - but passive experience
We did the Northern Circuit, including Ngorongoro in December of 2017. The amount of wildlife seen was mind boggling. However, sitting in the car for 12+ hours per day started to get boring and the experience felt passive. Next time I would like to mix up the experience with fewer days of driving and include more culture or walking activities.