US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
As Good As It Gets!
From start to finish, working with Soul of Tanzania was a pleasure. Once you contact them, you are assigned a personal operator that works with you to design your desired itinerary. I worked with Sandy and she was the best! Always friendly, polite, and responsive, Sandy helped me design a nine day itinerary through Kenya and Tanzania. Sandy offered good recommendations for how long we should stay at each location and provided a number of lodging options based on various budgets. We were also offered options like visiting a Masai tribe and the Olduvai Gorge. During the weeks leading up to our departure, Sandy politely answered a number of last minute questions. I felt comfortable and at ease starting my safari.
Soul of Tanzania gives you a questionnaire to fill out that asks about your likes and dislikes, you favorite and least favorite animals, and the type of traveler you are so they can better customize your safari and, more importantly, match you with the best guide/driver. Sandy recommended Ally (Ali) for us in Tanzania and he made all the difference! Ally was funny, knowledgeable, prompt, and flexible. If we wanted to stop, we stopped. But Ally would always stop so we had good light on the animals for photography. If we wanted to modify the itinerary, we did. But Ally would always talk about the pros and cons of doing so. If we wanted to start early or end late, no problem. Normally, there is a good deal of luck regarding what animals you see on our safari. But Ally maximized our luck by always communicating with the other drivers in the park and taking us to the rarest animal sightings. We saw The Big Five multiple times. We saw 2 rhinos, 4 leopards, 4 cheetahs, and about 42 lions. We saw a cheetah hunt a gazelle. We saw lion cubs play on a rock. We saw endless giraffes, hippos, hyenas, elephants, ostriches, water buffalo, crocodiles and wildebeests. However, the best thing we saw was The Great Migration cross the Mara river in the North Serengeti. And we saw it twice! We even saw crocodiles attack and kill a wildebeest - twice! We saw it because of Ally. As soon as he heard from a friend about the crossing he immediately got our vehicle moving and got us there quicker than everyone else. We had a front row seat! Later, as all the other vehicles searched different sections of the river for a crossing, Ally took us back to the first crossing spot on a hunch that the herd was separated and would cross again. We were the only vehicle there. And they crossed! And that's when the two wildebeests were attacked by crocs! So, there is certainly luck involved in seeing the animals, but there is also skill. And Ally provided that skill.
We had an amazing safari. It was fun from start to finish. More importantly, we didn't need to worry about anything because we knew we were in good hands. If you want a great custom safari experience, Soul of Tanzania is the way to go.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A Consummate Ambassador
I have had the great pleasure of being on two safaris arranged and guided by Kevin Mlay. Both occurred before Kevin began Natural Life Experience, but the fact that he and I have remained friends for many years speaks for itself and of my admiration for him. I am both pleased and proud that Kevin now has his own company and will continue to share his vast wealth of knowledge and love of country with future guests. His determination and drive have made this happen. Kevin is personable, organized, professional, and fully capable of arranging the endless logistics necessary to ensure the success of these unique adventures. Ours both involved nights of mobile tent camping, which makes planning even more complex. To say these safaris were remarkable would be a gross understatement. We've been fortunate to have traveled extensively over the years, and our nights with sundowners around the fire with family and close friends in these intimate private camps, strategically set up just for us and miles and miles from lodges and other people, are some of the most memorable I have ever experienced. But it's during the day drives that Kevin really shines. His unbridled passion and knowledge for and about the animals and birds encountered seemingly everywhere is truly impressive. His smile and sense of humor are quick and he possesses an uncanny ability to ferret out once in a lifetime animal sightings. I think of Kevin Mlay as a consummate ambassador of Tanzania, and I hope our paths cross again.
NG
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Excellent Services
If you looking to get the best experience in Tanzania, look no further than Eco-Africa climbing. My climb to the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro was all thanks to their professional and humane touch. Excellent people they are.
CO
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience in Tanzania
Since the beginning Geoffrey, the manager, was extremely kind and helpful, replying my emails in a few hours (sometimes minutes). All his crew was very kind: the driver, the guide, the chef. The accomodations were very comfortable and they were always worried about what we eat. The guide was experienced and explained all about the creatures and was very skillful with the vehicle so we could get great photos and a great experience. The time spent on each park was great, and we could sight amazing momments like the great migration, 4 of the big five walking around, chetahs after a recent chase, and much more.
The vehicle includes a plug, so you can charge your devices.
I would recommend this operator and the parks I visited: Lake Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater and Tarangire.
HK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Scam of USD4968 from the company "Kenya Walking Survivors Safari"
We are reporting the scam from the company "Kenya Walking Survivors Safari" and the owner Mr. Otieno Lysaniash.
We paid an amount of USD4968 deposits to the company "Kenya Walking Survivors Safari" to book a tour to safaris in Kenya and Tanzania for the period 17 Aug 2019 – 30 Aug 2019.
After these payments, we lost the contact from Mr. Otieno Lysaniash, the owner of the company until 7 Aug 2019 that we received an email from Julius Muchiri saying that they failed to provide the required service. He claimed that the refund would be handled between 45-90 days. We replied him immediately to request chargeback to the same credit card that paid. However, we receive no responses from any of them so far since then.
How can we get the refund? Please help!
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