FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Average
I did the 6 days safari. The parks are nice, it was a good experience, but I'm a bit disapointed about the tour operator.
Firstly, my plane was late, and I got blame for that because other people were waiting for me, but it's not my fault and nobody told me before the hour of departure of the tour, so I couldn't know.
Then, few times during the trip, we lacked of water and I had to insist to them to buy me some (it's supposed to be included).
The accomodations are very "basic", but it's the same for all tour operators within this range price.
The overall organization was pretty bad, I can understand it was during the COVID pandemy and it was harder to fill groups, but still.
I had to check the day by day program on Safaribookings otherwise the tour guide would have skip some parts.
The tour guide for the last part (Ambelosi) was from an other company and was pretty bad. He was not honest and just rushed the tour.
I guess if you want something really serious, you have to pay much more.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Overall it was a good experience but dealing with mechanical car failures is not ideal on vacation.
The overall experience was good but we had concerns with the lack of social distancing & mask wearing & sanitising throughout the trip. Considering the global crisis we are facing I would expect tour operators to do the most they can to ensure the safety of their guests. Our guide, for example, would stop to pick up random strangers next to the road & these individuals did not wear masks or anything of this sort but would drive with us for long durations. This was quite concerning.
In terms of the guiding & the park - this was great. The guide was knowledgeable and made extra effort to ensure we were able to view the animals as best we could.
It was very disappointing when the vehicle broke down on our last day. This meant we were unable to go into the park on the morning safari as scheduled. There was no alternative, no other arrangements to ensure we could still enjoy our morning drive. When the vehicle was finally fixed the guide suggested we immediately return to Nairobi while the vehicle was working as he didn't know whether it would break down again. So our whole experience was overshadowed by this. It is a once in a lifetime experience to visit the Masai Mara & to be told that we are unable to experience our last game drive was simply unacceptable.
IR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The sky,this is an endless land
kenya is beautiful and peacful country.
traveling in this country , its easy,
it has good people
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Very accurate and serves are above any expectations. I can’t wait to travel soon
All was perfect save for only one issue, I hard travelled with Friend from France who wasn’t familiar with English.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
So and so
I did a slight variation of the 12 day safari that the company offers in January 2021 as a solo traveler. I paid $2820 + 3% credit card fee. The trip included 3 nights in Masai Mara, a day at Lake Nakuru, a day at Mt. Longonot + Hell's Gate, a day in Amboseli, and 3 days in Tsavo (1 in West, and 2 in East). I had previously done a safari in Tanzania in August 2017 for 8 days in Tarangire, Serengeti and Ngororongoro, and therefore I will compare this safari with the previous safari experience. There were both good and less good things about this safari in Kenya.
First, I think that visiting Kenya out of the high season in Masai Mara, which is July to October, may not be a good idea. I knew that the wildebeest will not be in Masai Mara in January, but I was expecting that there would still be many other animals. The wildebeest also had left Central Serengeti when I visited it, but there were still many other animals left there. In Masai Mara in January, though, there were very few animals with the exception of a small area near the gate. You could drive around sometime for an hour without seeing any animals. On the other hand, the animals migrate much less from the other parks, so the experience there was probably as expected.
The second issue to consider is that while the safari was advertised as 12 days, and there was some sort of game drive for all days except the last when we traveled from Tsavo back to Nairobi, the actual number of 24 hour periods for which permits were purchased was in fact 8. This is partially due to the long distances that need to be covered between parks, but also because the company wants to minimize the number of permits it has to purchase, so it includes quite a good amount of downtime in the itinerary, which is not evident when booking a trip. For instance, in the first day starting from Nairobi at 8AM, one could do a half day game drive in Masai Mara starting maybe from around 1-2PM at the latest. Instead, because of several stops along the way, including a half an hour stop a tourist shop right before the 1 hour stop for lunch, and also a stop at the lodge right at the gate of the park, one enters Masai Mara only at 4PM, for a relatively quick game drive. Similarly, on the day when we entered Amboseli coming from Naivasha, we could have entered the park at about 1PM, but instead, we entered at 4.30PM (we got to a lodge right at the park entrance and then stayed there for 1.5 hours). That was so that the next day, which was supposed to be a full game drive in Amboseli, we would not have to exit the park too early, because the company only wanted to pay for one 24 hour permit. These are just some examples - the whole schedule is affected by this. On top of that, the driver further cut the available time in the park. For instance, for the full day Amboseli game drive, he exited the park at 3.15PM, although the permit would have allowed exiting at 4.30PM. And he cut other days short as well. These being said, it is likely that other companies use the same strategy when setting itineraries in Kenya. What I can compare with is the itinerary that I had in Tanzania, where out of the 8 days I paid for, we actually stayed in parks for 7 days because they were very close to each other, and once we entered Serengeti, we stayed there for several days continuously, with the camps being right in the middle of the park.
Third, the accommodations that were offered varied quite a lot in terms of quality. The lodges where I spent 5 nights near Amboseli and Tsavo were very nice, while the rest where I spent the first 6 nights were much less so, with the hotel in Naivasha barely meeting the minimum for a tourist grade hotel. The food at the good lodges was good, but for instance, at the hotel in Naivasha, the breakfast was one fried egg, two pieces of toast and a little bit of fruit. This is very poor for an almost $3000 safari. In general, for the first 6 days, the food was quite poor in terms of quality and quantity, and I had to buy myself more food even though I don't usually eat a lot. The packed lunches during these 6 days were also insufficient. For instance, in Masai Mara, they were consisting of a small chicken leg, a banana, and a small vegetable sandwich the size of a closed fist.
Fourth, the van that was offered, while not a 4x4, as stated in the tour description, was relatively new and reliable. And since there were Land Cruisers to get us out when we got stuck a couple of times in Masai Mara, I would say that it was perfectly fine. In Tanzania all tours are run by Land Cruisers.
Fifth, the experience with the company's manager, Silas, also had good and less good parts. The communication prior to the trip and during the trip was very efficient, most times with almost instant responses. However, there were some things that were not as expected. For instance, he agreed that I would make the payment with the credit card upon arrival in Kenya never mentioning that he would expect me to pay a 3% fee until right when I had to make the payment, even though there were plenty of opportunities to do so during our prior communication. Normally, if the seller expects the buyer to pay that fee, that is clearly stated when agreeing on a price and payment method. Second, while he promised prior to the trip that I would be able to set my own game drive schedule during the trip since I had booked a solo trip, in practice that did not happen. As mentioned above, that was partially to avoid paying too many park fees, but also because the driver, Nelson, did not really care about what Silas had promised even if I mentioned that to him, and exited the park when he wanted to exit it even when I explicitly said that I would want to stay more on that day. The driver basically said that whatever I discussed with Silas has no bearing on him and I should talk with Silas if I have anything to discuss on that topic, that "this is Kenya and promises don't mean anything", and so on. While I can say that I did see enough of each of these parks, maybe except for Amboseli, I would have liked to make the most out of the time in Kenya and spend it in the parks even if sitting around looking at some animal, rather than in lodges. In Tanzania, I had no problem accomplishing this, unlike this safari in Kenya. However, for people who are fine spending more time in lodges, this may not be an issue.
As for the guides/drivers (I had two of them since the first one had a family medical emergency after the first 5 days), they also had good parts and less good. They were both very knowledgeable of the parks and of the behavior of the animals, and while in the parks, did their best to show me the animals and the various landscapes. The first guide, Jackson, was also perfectly fine to interact with. The second guide, Nelson, was quite weird. Much of the time, he was a perfect guide, but when contradicted or disagreed with using some objective facts, he was starting to say some really unpleasant things that I had never heard on any other guided trips I was on. Like if you were to tell someone that 1+1=2 instead of 3, as they claim, and then hear him telling you some unpleasant personal things because you dared to contradict him even if you do it in a casual way. I tried to not be too affected by these and I was mostly able to accomplish that, but it may ruin the trip for people who would be a little bit more affected by such discussions. Also, worth mentioning that both drivers were saying at times things that were clearly not true when it was serving their purpose, as I could tell from other sources of information, like asking other people there. But probably this is not too surprising.
Overall, I obviously enjoyed this trip through Kenya, although it could have been better on several dimensions. However, for people who think that they may do only one safari in their lifetime, I would personally recommend to do that in Tanzania in July-August, with time in Tarangire (which is a really special park even if less known), Serengeti (including a day in the North part at the Sand River to see the wildebeest crossing) and Ngorongoro Crater. You can do that in 8 days for less than the cost of this 12 day Kenya safari. That safari I did in Tanzania was perfect - it couldn't have been better - and was probably 10 times better than the one I did now in Kenya. On the other hand, if you have already been to Tanzania and want to also see another country, then Kenya also has interesting places and somewhat different landscapes and it is also definitely worth visiting if time and money allows you. As for the operator I booked with, it may well be that in that price range, all companies offer similar services, but just prepare yourself to be a little bit disappointed every now and then relative to what you would expect or was promised. However, you should still be able to enjoy the trip eventually if you can get over these issues.
CA
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Private 16 day Best of Kenya and Tanzania reduced to 15 day for airline covid schedule
Our Tour was a private 16 day Best of Kenya and Tanzania that was modified 2-3 weeks before departure due to Flight being cancelled due to airline Covid schedules.
Twinkle modified itinerary and removed Lake Victoria from safari.
We visited Samburu, Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Lake Nakuru, Masai Mara, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Amboseli National Park.
What Twinkle Star Tours doesn't mention anywhere on there site is that they sub contract Tanzania portion of tour out to a Tanzania company. I would suggest if travelling both countries to do more research. Lucky for us Tanzanian guide from 7 Wonders was Excellent.
We went from Sept 8 to Sept 22 2020, we had booked last year and were uncertain with all the Covid travel bans, Kenya opened up August 1 to international travel and they have done a great job with all the covid protocols.
The driver wore a mask all the time, all the lodges had masks, sanitizer, hand washing stations and plated service.
The Safari itself was really good, lots of wildlife, the lodges were all excellent, the food even with a condensed covid menu was all really good.
I would modify itinerary and remove Lake Nakuru and spend that day in the Mara or Ol Pejeta , the Sweetwater tented camp is amazing there.
I would skip Lake Manyara its flooded and about 4-5 m higher than normal and add a day to the Serengeti due to its sheer size .
The Safari would have been a 4-5 star rating except for some things that detracted from everything that was great overall.
The driver/guide Willie took us to a convenient Masai village near the gate , I think there are better examples of a Masai Village available.
The driver/guide Willie was inconsistent in his driving ability, sometimes too slow on highway and too fast in the park, he also seemed to use same path twice in some parks and struggled with time management. Willie was very friendly and chatty and always pointed out all flora and fauna and birds and all species of animals we passed.
James the Owner/Manager of Twinkle Star promised us a $ 350 refund for dropping Lake Victoria off the Safari which was very nice due to the last minute changes beyond both our control.
Unfortunately he didn't deliver on that promise and gave a bunch of excuses before finally giving us a third of what was promised.
He doesn't understand the way to be successful in a service industry is to Never Over Promise and Under Deliver... Always Always Under Promise and Over Deliver and you will have Happy Customers.
Date of experience: September 2020
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very good safari, but had problems at start and end of trip
I went on a trip with Adventure Africa Expedition in November 2019 in Tanzania (through the Serengeti and Ngorongoro). Whilst we had a fantastic trip, and I would recommend booking with the company, we did have a few problems on occasions throughout the trip.
Whilst booking, Dickson from Adventure Africa was very communicative, explaining exactly what we were booking. He was very accommodating and willing to change our tour based on what we wanted to experience. Whilst this changed slightly whilst on the trip (only the order of areas visited), we still visited all the places we wanted to.
On departing day, the tour owner was very late (nearly two hours). After he finally arrived, after trying to contact Adventure Africa many times, it was evident that the company that would be taking us on the tour, was different. This company was called Martial Eagle Safaris. This wasn't communicated during booking that.
We still had a small balance to pay upon the tour owners arrival, which we all had the money for (in cash) and had been communicated to us, at the time of booking. However, when paying, the owner of Martial Eagle Safaris was adamant that we had been quoted the incorrect amount and demanded that we paid another $100 USD each to start the tour. Upon managing to speak with Adventure Africa, Dickson told us that they had miscalculated and given us the wrong exchange rate. This meant that we had to fork out. I'm not sure if this was a scam or a genuine mistake, but I was extremely annoyed by this as we spent the morning trying to sort this out and it meant that our trip started badly.
After this, we stated our tour with our safari guide named China and our cook name Wiz. Both of these guys were fantastic and I couldn't fault either of them. China went out of his way throughout the trip to keep us happy and to find animals in the bush. He was an expert and we saw everything with his guidance. Wiz cooked up some brilliant food given the very basic facilities he was using to cook. If I was going on another safari, I'd want these guys to take me.
We had some fantastic days, seeing great wildlife. We camped in some great locations - including two locations that wildlife came through the came. These places were basic (and the bathrooms we not for the faint-hearted) but this is what we were expecting. All of our tents were also made for us upon arrival which was an added bonus.
Unfortunately, despite the amazing time we had on the trip, it ended on a low. On our final day, upon exiting the Serengeti, we were stopped from leaving as the owner of Martial Eagle had failed to pay the park fees. This meant we were stuck at the airport for over 5 hours. After China spent a lot of time negotiating, we managed to get out. This delay meant we arrived back in Arusha at about 10pm (and we were not able to see the town at all). This meant we ended our tour on a low.
Overall we had an amazing time on our trip, as the bulk of it whilst on safari, exceeded expectations. But the problems at start and end had a negative impact and were extremely annoying, putting a downer on our trip. Anyone booking with either of these companies should be aware of this.
Also, if you are planning on visiting the Serengeti area in late November, it's a really good time to go. It wasn't particularly busy and we saw everything!
GR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good for value
Everything was adequately organized ! The staff very friendly and helpful. The accomodation wasn't beyond my expectations. The van wasn't so comfortable.
IN
Safari guide
We had with Otto a very good organized tour to the quit south of Tanzania. Ketulo NP; Ruaha NP; Mikumi NP; Selous and at the end a nice stay at the Indian Ocean in the little town of Kilwa
IE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Review about Kruger National Park by Lidia
Wildlife was hard to spot at times