US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great value for the money and an incredible viewing experience!
Peter provided a very clear itinerary, and he was very responsive to questions prior to the three days. Simon, our driver, was friendly, punctual and extremely competent, and we felt we were in excellent hands. There was plenty of water in the cooler, and the van seats were comfortable enough. The first day was spent getting to Oldarpoi Tented Camp, which is no frills but was clean and safe, with surprisingly good food and comfortable beds with mosquito nets. Simon's driving was never so aggressive that we were frightened by the constant highway leapfrogging, but driving in Kenya is not for the faint of heart or weak of back. We spent about 3 hours in the park on the first evening, and it was awesome. Simon left the CB radio frequency open so that he could monitor everyone else's feedback about where the animals were; it was a little annoying to have the crackly noise on constantly, but to his credit, he used what he heard to track down a ton of animals for us to photograph. The road is not smooth (and the off-roading on tire tracks into the savanna is worse), and although it was clearly hard on the shocks, Simon's excellent driving made all the difference. The top of the van pops up and riders stand inside the vehicle to watch the animals. (It is safer than it sounds.) The second day we spent 10 hours in the park, and it was exhausting but really rewarding. The packed lunch was not great, but it was frankly much better than I would have expected in the literal middle of nowhere, with a chicken thigh, boiled egg, sandwich, two pieces of fruit, and a drink. Watch out for the vervets, which are aggressive. Women take note: there is no toilet facility anywhere once you are in the park, except for a pit toilet in the parking area near the hippo/croc stop on the Mara River. Carry wet wipes, don't be squeamish, and be grateful you live in the developed world. The third day Simon offered the option to return to the park and then go to the lake to get closer to the hippos, but we elected to visit the nearby Masai village, where we were hosed on cheap trinkets. Bargain accordingly. It was interesting, though, and definitely worth the hour-long stop. The ride back to Nairobi was about 4.5 hours, with a couple of trinket stops and lunch at a budget waystation with dozens of other bargain tourists. No complaints about the food, though. Simple but filling. All stops had regular flush toilets, but carrying your own paper is recommended. Again, Simon's excellent driving got us out of the Rift Valley and out of the worst of Nairobi traffic safely and without incident.
Bring your own binoculars; they are necessary and the ones available were not good, and sometimes it's impossible to get really close to the animals. Don't expect a ton of creature comforts, as this is definitely a budget option. The van rattles, but it's more than adequate. You are going to be camping, with limited electricity, minimal but clean facilities, and no wifi between 9 pm and 6 am. Go outside and look at the stars. I personally like luxury, but for the price, you really can't beat the experience. Completely worth every penny, and then some. Seeing those animals up close was amazing!
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful safari trip
Overall we give Natural World Kenya Safaris 10 out of 10 for quality and service. This company really care about your Safari experience to make it a trip of a lifetime, which it was!
Their website is easy to navigate and provides a wide range of tours and describes them in good detail. They were very easy to deal with via email and helped us pick and organise our safari trip. We paid the deposit via Pesapal, which is like Kenya's version of PayPal, and the rest when we started the trip. We were picked up at the airport by NWKS and taken to the hotel we'd booked in Nairobi before beginning the trip next day. We were picked up by our guide Ken and taken to Amboseli and then moved on to Naivasha, Nakuru and Masai Mara. The lodges we stayed in were all very nice and comfortable and we were upgraded on most from budget to comfort. The food was excellent at them all.
The parks were truly amazing. To witness in real life what you've seen on TV is an experience we will never forget. Our guide, Ken, was an expert at seeking out the wildlife and was very knowledgeable. We saw the big five and so much more. The highlights for me were getting so close to Elephants, Giraffes and Lions, seeing Wildebeest cross the Mara River, seeing cheetahs hunt, watching a heard of thousands of wildebeest migrating to their next plain, lots of baby animals and Ken spotting the elusive Leopard for us. It was so wonderful and I can't thank Ken enough for being a fantastic guide. After the safari we were taken to our Nairobi hotel and picked up by NWKS again the next day to take us to the airport. I thoroughly recommend this company for your Safari trip, they are excellent.
NG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They were exceptional in their service delivery from pickup, to orientation, to the actual tour!!!
It was an experience of a lifetime worth repeating
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent service. Very informative guide.
Contrary to what i had read in the review,i found this company to offer good safari with knowledgeable guide.i have just did a 4 days safari with them and their service was excellent and up to my expectations.
IT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
a good experience
efficiente guides and an organization able to solve very quickly the problems of jeep breakdowns.
Our safari was exciting and thanks to the excellent organization we were able to visit numerous park in a short time.
Good standard of hotel accommodations
BE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stressless, enjoyable and friendly on a budget
We visited the Masai Mara, Amboseli and Naivasha with Mufasa tours and travels. It was a seamless experience and in case of problems, they were quickly resolved in a professional manner! Very good quality for the budget price we paid. I recommend.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Great birder
Everything was superb, I had a great time and the guide was excellent.
IN
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
The best tour company ever
My family had a wonderful 15 nights in Uganda thanks to Crystal Safari.
Barbara had planning everything perfectly and taken care of the smallest things. She will immediately solve even the smallest problems for you all you have to do is let her know that there is a problem.
Best thing about Crystal is also that they are most value for money company.
I had contacted two other agencies from safaribookings and they ended up giving me a higher quotation ( a lot lot higher ) for pretty much the same itinerary and hotels.
And of course we had the best guide ever - Joesph. His animal spotting is exceptional. He can see things we just can’t. And he has such great relationships with other guides and people on the ground that you end up receiving a lot of help and benefit.
A word of advice - always listen to what Joseph tells you.
He will gently guide you once, if you don’t listen you will definitely be in a mess. His service and treatment has exceptional- from helping us out for the smallest things to ensuring that we see atleast that one big cat at Queen Elizabeth even if it meant him getting in to trouble.
Will definitely tour with them again for other countries they offer.
DE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Red Basker Self Drive - Camping trip through Namibia and Botswana
We (parents with 3 grown-up children) were on a 23days camping tour (only one lodge in the Erongo mountains) through Namibia and Botswana. The car (Toyota Hilux 4x4 with roof tents) was brand-new and excellent. From the first information through the whole booking process until helping us to deal with the cancellation of our flight home, Norelle of the Cardboardbox team was always extremely helpful, fast, reliable, friendly, efficient, and ... and .. and ... We would give 7 out of five stars, if possible! We felt in best hands, and the Cardboardbox contributed tremendously to our having a wonderful trip, full of highlights (we especially loved the different deserts and being alone in the nature). We will definitely come back to Nambia, and of course, it will be via Cardboard Box again.
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Unforgettable safari in Tanzania
18-day friends safari and 4-day stay in Zanzibar.
The Kilidove team knew how to listen to our wishes and we made a wonderful trip, unforgettable and probably one of the most beautiful for me.
I want to thank Richard, our guide, for his kindness, his professionalism, his patience, and his continuous good humor. We have seen, thanks to him, an incalculable number of animals, and in particular leopards, lions, cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes, etc ...
Many thanks also to Mathias, our smiling and kind cook chief who has been able to prepare very good food despite sometimes difficult conditions.
I also want to thank Habib, our guide in Zanzibar for his good mood. He was able to share a little of the history and traditions of his island despite our short stay.
Asante sana also to all the team Kilidove, and a special mention to Mylène, for their availability and their kindness.