CA
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Friendly, knowledgeable, responsive, attentative
My husband and I did the 10 day Kenya & Tanzania safari. We truly enjoyed the Kenya portion of the safari. The accommodations and the food were all very good, although the boxes lunches can get a little old after a while. 2 out of 6 being hot lunches. The guide was friendly, knowledgeable, & quick to the animals.
We knew going into the Tanzania portion that accommodations would be budget (meaning tent camping). We had no issue with that. The food was also very good. The new guide was friendly & could spot the animals from afar. A little bit of a language barrier so made conversation a little difficult.
The only thing we would complain about is the condition of the safari vehicle. It almost felt unreliable. Gages didn’t work, roof leaked, seats were very uncomfortable, windows were hard to open. Just seemed very aged compared to the almost new vehicle in the Kenya portion of safari. With most of your time spent driving you felt fairly uncomfortable by the end of the day. Not sure if it was a super eagles vehicle as it had no Super Eagles logos.
Over all would recommend for midrange safari.
DK
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Excellent value, mixed feelings
Booked 3-day Masai Mara tour with JungleRoam, stayed at Sankale Camp. Saw a load of animals, but there are some downsides.
Pros:
• Value for price is excellent.
• Our driver James was very experienced (over 20 years) and had a great network with other drivers, so he knew where the animals were. He spotted a rhino in the afternoon when we were all asleep!
• Chesi works incredibly hard and will support you through your booking with everything.
• Staff at Sankale Camp is so friendly. They taught me some Kikuyu and Masai words, and I was able to take a walk in the valley with a guide.
• Masai Mara is gorgeous.
• We saw everything: lion, rhino, giraffe, cheetah, elephant, hippo, alligator, antelope, Impala, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, EVERYTHING.
Cons:
• Shower wasn't actually warm, but tbh I didn't expect that.
• Driver James was not always communicative about what was happening. But if I asked him, he explained anything I wanted to know.
Important notes:
• Almost all Masai Mara tour operators drive aggressively close to animals (off-road) if rangers are not around. If you are into animal welfare, consider volunteering at a conservancy instead. Or hire a private safari and bring a telephoto lens.
• I believe Jocky tours, Jungle Roam, and Sunnycreek are all part of the same company. You will probably share a Jeep with people from another operator.