US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Very good operator, extremely rude drivers
Masai Mara & Nakuru: 30 July 2019; for short version, look below.
I am so conflicted giving this a 2 star rating because we (group of 9, with 7 visiting from the US) had a terrible experience largely due to one person (Julius - experienced but grumpy & rude tour guide who seems to hate his job/life), but the rest of everything else was great. However, Julius largely defined the experience for the group that he was driving, so I unfortunately cannot justify more than 2 stars. All 9 of us are avid travelers and visit 3-4 countries every year (4 of us are above the age of 60), with 2 who live and work in Kenya, and there was consensus that these were among the most disrespectful people we’ve met.
We are a large group and worked with George for a few months, during which we made multiple changes and George was absolutely fantastic, accommodating, and patient throughout, designing a customized trip for us - I had decided I would give this operator a 5 star rating even before the trip, but then, enter Julius. Right from day 1, he seemed a bit rude and on edge with his responses to any question. Since we were in a mindset of trying to have fun, and had planned this for months, we ignored it and tried to brush it off. We had 2 vehicles, and the other tour guide, Milton, seemed much friendlier until Julius turned him by day 3, so we had him acting snippy towards the end too. After a few incidents it became hard to ignore Julius’ rudeness (example - at one point when we said it was uncomfortable to have a large empty ice box in the car, as the water he brought had run out anyway, he responded with ’then you have to be uncomfortable’; not even a hint of empathy, or trying to find a solution). Oh and he also whipped out a large machete that was under the seat on at least a few occasions (pretending to clean it) possibly with the aim of intimidating everyone, and I guess it worked. Imagine being in a jungle at the mercy of someone like that (he even looks scary). Both drivers started acting very dictatorial, telling us what the new plan was (different from the itinerary), and not offering any options, or entertaining any suggestions. We finally got a different driver on day 3 (James) who was absolutely fabulous - and told us more about Mara and wildlife in one hour on the freeway, than Julius did in 2 days, but unfortunately he was there only to drive us back home, so we didn’t really get to do any Game drives with him.
TLDR: George - amazing guy, very easy to work with; tour guide Julius ruined the experience with his blunt rudeness; The other guide Milton was okay first couple of days, but also became rather rude after seeing Julius talk to the group with no respect and get away with it. James (who stood in for Julius on day 3 was absolutely fantastic, and well spoken, and the guide we all wished we had through the safari), so be super careful who you select as a tour guide/driver as it is critical in how your experience turns out.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An amazing, personalized experience in the most beautiful place in the world!
I had a wonderful experience on my safari in Tanzania. I found the company though multiple online reviews and they were all pretty spot on. Helena and I communicated for months to set up the ideal trip. The personalized itinerary and choices in lodging were what set them apart. As for the tour, my guide Ally was absolutely amazing. He took an interest in what animals I most wanted to see and definitely did not let me down. I had so many close encounters with the big cats. His spotting was incredible as well as his teamwork with other guides to find them. Ally was a pleasure to spend time with for nine days. We got along great, which is important if you have a relatively long safari. The safari was exactly what you would have expected in the beautiful country. Food was great and could tell the other tourists were jealous of the great spreads he set up for us. Great job by Soul of Tanzania and especially Ally and Helena.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
"Trip of a lifetime."
Claws of Africa and our guide Magoma, have left us with a life changing experience, from the time we booked until we had to say our goodbyes. From the first moment we met, it was obvious Magoma’s goal was to exceed expectations in everything we did and saw. So experienced, so much fun. We saw the Big 5 animals, the Great Migration on our “Just Married” trip and so much more. We could not have asked for a better trip, booking company and guide.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Adventure of a Lifetime
Great guides brought us in close proximity with all the animals. Always helpful and stopping at a moments notice for any photo opportunity. The Lodges in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater were beautiful. the trip culminated with a visit to a Maasai village. perfect ending to a perfect trip
TW
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Pleasant & safe
Good guider, smiling chef, responsible owner .
It is worthy of recommendation.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent experience, would recommend without reservations
Great experience end to end. Like others have mentioned, I too went deep into the rabbit hole of reviews, but it was clear that there’s a large difference between Eastco Before and Eastco After.
The process was pretty seamless end to end. David was responsive and communicative throughout our planning process, patiently walking us through various options and adjusting the schedule and accommodation options every time we had a new request. We wanted to pay for part of the trip through a credit card based money transfer, to take advantage of the trip insurance provided by our credit card, and the team spent days trying to hunt down our money transfer when it got rerouted incorrectly.
We split our trip into actual camping and then lodges, to minimize driving. During camping, Dixon accompanied us to prepare the meals—we wished he could have stayed with us the entire time. He made amazing meals for our dietary restrictions (one vegetarian, one vegan). Definitely the best food we’ve had in a long time, fancy restaurants with tablecloths included.
Wilson, our guide/driver, has the literal eyes of a hawk. No other way to explain how he could spot with his naked eyes a speck in the distance that turned out to be a cheetah or whatever. We set out one day with a goal of seeing male lions—having not seen any so far—and eventually had to tell him that we’d seen enough and wanted to go back to the camp. He was endlessly patient with our exhaustion and happily let us fall asleep in the car pretty much every single day. He had a genuine joy in seeing all animals, too, so we weren’t always chasing after the Big Five at the expense of other experiences (dueling giraffes!).
We always felt like we were in communication with Eastco and in good hands. We asked at the last minute (aka, during the safari) if it were possible to replace a driving leg with a flying leg, and David sent us all the details within a few hours. We asked if it were possible to get a snack for the airport at the end of our trip, and Dixon ended up making us full dinner boxes with all the favorites we’d missed.
If I had to be picky: while Dixon and the tented camp were fully cognizant of our dietary requests, the larger permanent lodges we stayed at (which did buffet-style meals) didn’t seem to have been informed. After I spoke with one of the chefs the first night, the buffet the second night had many more options that worked, so the lack of options the first night seems like it could have been avoided.
Recommend without reservations, hurry and make yours now.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Samburu National Reserve by Michael
The bush vibe in Samburu was exceptional. It was really hot (almost too hot) but we still got to see an impressive array of animals, including the leopard, cheetah and lion. The hotel was beautiful and we really liked that we could see elephants drinking water by the river without having to leave our room! Spotting animals was pretty easy since there wasn't thick bush all around, and the scenery with the mountains in the distance, made for some very Mars-like impressions. We were really glad that we stayed here for two nights - loved Samburu!
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Ol Pejeta Conservancy by Michael
It was great! The opportunity to see rhinos up close was fantastic, as was the birding experience and the chimpanzee sanctuary. There was a large diversity of wildlife, and the hotel was beautiful.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Everything about the trip was perfect
The wildlife and scenery were amazing - we were lucky as we got to see everything that we were hoping to see, including all of the Big 5. Each park felt different, whether it was the diversity of wildlife, the scenery or the weather, which made each park its own incredible adventure. While technically in the rainy season, we experienced almost no rain, except for about 30 minutes one afternoon in the Masai Mara (and even then, the raw power of the rainstorm was fascinating). The accommodations were very luxurious and the rooms were great - there were no complications with check-in or check-out, staff was friendly, and the food was delicious. Our guide was incredible, and we were really happy that we drove from place to place so that we could see more of the beautiful country rather than just the national parks. In all, we went to Amboseli, Mount Kenya, Samburu, Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara. Everything about this trip was perfect and we would recommend it to everyone!
IL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Stunning
Stunning scenery
Amazing wildlife
Kind and welcoming and fun people
Good value for money
Great accommodation and food