BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Pedaso safaris is a good company, responsive and they try to help as much as they can
I booked a 9 days budget safari kenya+tanzania the last week of September. David replied every question I asked before booking. He was very responsive and offered his help for everything. I am very grateful but after doing the trip, I feel like he promised more than what he could afford to promise. Therefore, you need to watch out for yourself. This was regarding the back-office support. Regarding the trip: during the safari, you are on your own. The drivers will not help you and the tour operator cannot reach them (or at least in my case my drivers were never aware of the things David said he told them). The drivers and tour operator will always make sure you arrive to your destination, but that's it.
And you will really feel that this is a budget travel. In Kenya, in the car condition and the driver expertise. In Tanzania, in the accommodation. My personal advise is to not book Kenya+Tanzania; choose 1 country and do not cross the border.
Another fact is that the drivers do not follow the rules of the reserves, they drive fast and approach the animals extremely close, disturbing them. I saw sad situations in all the reserves, so if you are concerned about animal welfare, you should not do a safari at all. All the cars behave the same way.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Steve was incredible,and his calm nature made it possible for us to enjoy the tour
Steve as our guide made all our visit worthwhile, he's good, calm and was very knowledgeable,he explained everything we needed to know,always giving help where need be,and his easy nature made us feel at ease throughout the journey,he kept saying' when ur happy 'the animals are happy,we got to see lions physically,and for me this was everything,we saw so many different animals,I recommend Steve,he's very respectable,
PL
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good safari experience - with room for improvements
Overall, the safari was good, the staff were friendly, and the company is trustworthy. What surprised us was that no guide was included, even though we expected one based on information from others who had traveled with this company. Shortly before the trip, we asked whether a dedicated guide would travel with us and were assured that the driver alone would be sufficient. In my opinion, it wasn't. Don't get me wrong: our driver was excellent—agile, well-oriented, always getting us to the right spot at the right time—but since he was focused on driving, we had to look up information about the animals, nature, and parks ourselves.
That said, we still had plenty of breathtaking moments. The vehicle was reliable and did the job, even if not the most modern we saw during our safari. I would also suggest ensuring that the safari plan is prepared in detail and closely followed, as this helps to avoid missing important landmarks.
In general, I can recommend the company.
EC
65+ years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Beautiful country. Great for Safari
My only disappointment comes from the specific tour/safari operator who didn’t meet my expectations
65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
An unforgettable adventure of a life time
My wife and I just finished a 10-day private safari in Kenya - and were stunned by the amazing diversity of the animals and beauty of the various national parks. Dennis was our tour consultant and we selected Morningstar based upon the prompt and detailed price quotations he provided and the ratings on SafariBookings. He adjusted the itinerary based upon our selected parks, Nairobi - Amboseli - Naivasha - Ol Pejeta - Samburu - Nakuru - Masai Mara. Overall, the itinerary was organized very well, good accommodations and included airport transfers. Thanks Dennis.
As to the parks themselves, they were even better than our expectations. From the views of Mt Kilimanjaro, elephant herds of Amboseli, the beauty of Naivasha, special 5 of Samburu, flamingos of Nakuru to the unique vistas of Masai Mara with the big 5 - unforgettable moments.
James was our guide for the trip. He is very knowledgeable about all the parks and wildlife, highly skilled in spotting different animals, and turned out to be a photography enthusiast who offered to take photos with the long lens from driver seat. He surely has an eye for taking great photos and certainly helped capture some moments that otherwise would not have been possible. Thank you James.
We ended up giving 4 stars instead of 5 due to certain aspects that Dennis and James could have done better. Given the road conditions and traffic, anticipated transit times between parks was too optimistic, would have appreciated advice to reduce some parks. James should have checked that the Land Cruiser sliding windows could be easily opened and showed us how to operate them on day 1 so that photos could have been taken easily without having to climb up on seats and take from the open top only. He should also have been punctual on pickups, not spend inordinate amount of time on phone during game drives and should have gotten our agreement to any changes to daily activities specified in the itinerary with us.
Overall, we had an unforgettable experience and would recommend Morningstar.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The adventure started from the airport
We had two drivers on account of one shuttle breaking down. Theodore our second driver rescued us and made up some of that lost time. Ride was generally comfortable and the free wifi is a plus
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The tour was good, and we enjoyed it.
The transportation, accommodations, food, and guides were all great. We enjoyed the tour very much.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Chobe National Park by Kathy
I like a wilder setting. The quantity of wildlife was huge! Less variety than the delta
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The Trip of a Lifetime, But There are Some Things to Know Before You Go
The Good:
My wife and I had an amazing time in the Maasai Mara and surrounding area. The wildlife was abundant, the landscape beautiful, and the local Masai people are very friendly. It was the trip of a lifetime, and as a photographer I couldn't be happier at the images I was able to get. Believe me when I say that the good outweighs the bad and the ugly, which are commented on below. I highly recommend a trip to Kenya, but the comments below are just to give a realistic picture regarding some of the challenges you can expect.
The Bad:
The main drawback is that it can feel overwhelming when you are approached by so many people trying to sell merchandise every time your vehicle stops when you are outside the game reserve. Also, keep in mind that there are no services near the game reserve for pulling out cash. Even our lodge did not have an ATM. Even if there were an ATM, I found out later that my ATM card will not work in Kenya, as my US bank refuses to do business in the country. Also, the lodge could not break larger bills in American dollars. So bring enough small bills for tips, which you will need everywhere.
The Ugly:
For someone who has not been to an underdeveloped country, the extreme poverty can be a bit jolting. My wife and I have traveled extensively, so we knew what to expect. But with extreme poverty comes the need for security when you are a tourist. We stayed overnight in Nyrobi before heading out to the game reserve and I've never seen so much security screening required just to enter the hotel property. The vehicle was searched by security staff. Then to enter the hotel you go thru TSA style security with bags being scanned and stepping thru a scanner. You can't access the elevator or even the hallway to your room without a key card. That is good for our protection, but sad to see it as being necessary due to criminal elements in the city. We never felt unsafe outside the hotel as long as we were with our guide. However, we would have felt very unsafe without him.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Peaceful
We were with Moloko and it was a beautiful day.
Thank you for the visit