AE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredibly thorough and professional!
We had an amazing day experience with Soul of Tanzania and our guide Hope. The natural beauty is unsurpassed. I would highly recommend this experience and this company.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Dream Tour
Actually i stayed in DSM for 3 years and i have always dream to visit serengeti and ngorongoro but i have only vacation in x-mass. And this x-mass(2021) i planed to visit my dream place then i tried to communicate several tour company with instagram then i found that Raymond gave me the best price. I scared cz its my fitst time in staying in tented camp but Raymond gave me the hope and send me some picture to ensure Security. I really appriciate his behavior and manner. And when i reached there i saw that everything can be arranged very nicely. Im totally impressed his arrangement. Thank you Raymond and his company to support me to fulfill my dream. Also the tour guid habib was vastly experience and polite we really enjoy to visit serengeti and ngorongoro.
35-50 years of age
Simply careless and borderline dishonest
We had a terrible experience having rented a unit in Diani Beach Golden Sands Diani Kenya from Acheche tours. The unit was advertised as one thing and when we got there quite different. Very many things were not working and the entire complex where the apartment is located is derelict condition. Elevators not working, busted ceilings boards, pool with overgrown grass and no pool chairs.. I can go on forever. My key grip is with Acheche tours. They did nothing to resolve the issues. Ann claimed not to have known about the condition and yet took the money. And simply stopped responding to us. You plan your trip with Acheche at your own peril
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a lifetime
Reviewed 2 days ago via mobile
We had a wonderful experience with lion king from inquiry, payment, and all the way through the safari. The accommodations were great and each location was able to provide vegetarian meals too. Our trip was over the Christmas holiday and each location made he holiday special.
The safari itself was a once in a lifetime experience. Our guide Salehe was very knowledgeable regarding the animals and each location we went to. It was clear he knew the parks inside and out. Each day we were in disbelief with the animals he found (big 5, giraffe, cheetah, leopards, and so many cubs). Our group of four had a private vehicle and Salehe was with us the whole trip.
Highly recommend lion king - exceeded our expectations
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best trip ever!
We worked with the Kibo Guides to create a perfect itinerary for the 8 day trip. Our Guide, Shabani, was absolutely the best. The accommodations were exactly as described and very close to where we were going to do our game drives. One thing that I like about Kibo Guides, is that they do not limit the driver to a daily milage limit as some other companies do. So, we had the privelidge of driving all day long and seeing more of the Serengeti than others may have. Our trip was everything we had hoped it would be. Thank you Kibo Guides!!
CH
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Collins is punctual, social and very kind
Collins is a good driver, very careful and very welcoming. We arrived in Nairobi on time and he knows all the kenyan routes very well.
BE
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Perfect planning, incredible experience!
When planning our trip to Kenya we contacted a number of travel agencies, from the initial contact and proposal we had a good feeling about KingTomondo Safaris. The communication was to the point, Lisa understood immediately our preferences and tailored the itinerary accordingly.
The proposed itinerary was a 7-day safari through Tsavo East, Amboseli and Tsavo West, the lodges and camp sites where carefully selected all offering amazing views in prime locations in each of the parks.
On the first day of our Safari we were met at the hotel by Aziz, our guide/driver throughout the entire journey, an amazing and charming person with a lot of knowledge about the fauna and flora of the parks we visited. For an amateur photographer as myself it was a pleasure to have Aziz at our side, never in a hurry and allowing enough time for taking photographs. During our trip we where able to spot four out of the Big Five animals.
Lisa and KingTomondo's team am are very involved and will assist you with all the practical arrangements (airport transfers, hotel bookings, ... or even a last minute hot air balloon safari.
Despite the COVID pandemic we had safe journey, KingTomondo and all lodges handled everything in a professional manner, this should not hold you of visiting Kenya and it's parks.
We'll definitely return to Kenya and will book with Lisa again!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Ruined Honeymoon
We chose Bencia for a first safari experience during our honeymoon with a 6 days safari (2 full days in Masaï Mara + Nakuru + Hell's Gate, Nairobi to Nairobi).
Our initial plan had to be changed because of COVID test that we had to do at least the day before leaving. Bencia told me that last night we won't do in Naivasha/Hell's Gate but in Nairobi. What I didn't know was that we would have to sacrifice 1 full day and 1 night at Masaï Mara (which was of course the heart of our Safari) because of that. Of course they didn't tell me as day/night in Nairobi is not the same price as day/night in Masaï Mara. The safari cost didn't change at any moment.
The problem is that I never received any new plan, I think there was a real communication problem there from Bencia.
We only did one evening and full day next in Masaï Mara, not even the next morning as planned also because we had to be quickly to Nakuru for I do not know which reason because we arrived there at noon and left for safari at 6pm, all those lost hours we could have spent in Mara...
After this evening safari, I started contacting Bencia about our planning, they just said that we should do safari on the morning and head to Naivasha where we could do an activity that we would have to pay ourselves. I started to be angry and asked them (my contact was Alfred) why skipping one full day in Masaï Mara to be in Naivasha with nothing provided ? I asked them to provide us an activity as I was the one being stole and of course they first refuse. They even said that they would offer me activities in Nairobi and Hell's Gate, they are very funny in this so called ''company''. I paid for a 6 days safari, got stolen a day in Masaï Mara in exchange of one day in Nairobi but they continued talking about offering me things that I paid for... After a long discussion, I finally had a word from Bencia saying they would pay activity in Naivasha !
The next day, after only a few hours of safari in Nakuru (driver always had good excuses to quickly end the day or push us to do extra activity), we arrived in Naivasha. Other surprise there, we were not in the good hotel and when I compared rates of 2 hotels, 1 night in the one that was supposed to be booked was at USD 430 and the one we were in at USD 165. I gently asked for an explanation and a change or an upgrade during a long moment but Bencia never wanted to upgrade us, saying that it was the ''same level''. What a kind gift from them for our honeymoon !
We arrived in this hotel at 11:35 am and I had to struggle once again with Bencia (still Alfred who didn't want to get me his manager)@ to get our promised activity. Finally, at 17:00 after that our driver disapeared (even Bencia couldnt reach him) we were taken to our 1 hour boat ride, finally !
Last but not least, when we arrived at 3pm for check in in Nairobi without having any lunch, we discovered that Bencia booked only bed and breakfast. Reminder : I paid and signed and they signed to a contract for 6 days saying that all meals were included. There, once again, I had to fight during 2 hours to get our lunch (at 5pm bon appétit !) and also dinner.
This is where we met Cyprian from Bencia who listened to this story and tried to get us our meals and organized excursion the day after (of course Alfred from Bencia lied to me saying that he had booked excursions in Nairobi so we missed elephant orphanage).
Thanks to Cyprian, last day we were able to go to Nairobi NP for a last safari. That does not compensate at all the rest but I guess we will never received anything from them.
If you want an unbelievable experience, especially for honeymoon, I would not recommend Bencia, they are not tousism professionals. I would have done much more organizing it myself from Paris than them from Nairobi.
PS : Next to this comment, Bencia contacted me to remove my comment in exchange of some money, that tells the level of such company...
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the best trips ever! Our first safari and everything went very smoothly
This was hands-down one of the best travel experiences I have ever had. I went with my husband to Masai Mara for 4 days/3 nights. Mwanje was very easy to work with and everything went very smoothly. He was very quick to respond to messages and even helped us arrange Covid tests before the return trip to the US.
We flew into Masai Mara via Safari Link. I was a bit nervous with the small plane (Cessna Dash 8) but it was smooth and quick, only about 30 minutes. The camp that we chose was andBeyond Kichwa Tembo, and it was spectacular. We saw the Big 5 and cheetahs up close. Kichwa Tembo is located in the Mara Triangle, which has a ton of vegetation and is very wildlife dense. You have the best chance of seeing black rhinos in the triangle (we saw 3), and nonstop elephants, zebras, giraffes, impalas. The Greater Mara, on the other side of the river, is much larger than the Triangle and is where the majority of camps are located, but there is more sparse wildlife. However, you have to go to the greater Mara side to see cheetahs. We had an amazing game driver at andBeyond, Ekai, who could spot animals from a mile away with no binoculars. He was very attentive to our requests and he knew that we wanted to see cheetahs so he got up super early to drive us to the greater Mara side to a spot where it is known that a group of cheetahs hang out. Masai Mara is very tough to drive through (it's a lot of off-roading, the "roads" are basically just light tire tracks from previous vehicles), and Ekai was an excellent driver. The skill of these guides is really something that is built up over years of experience of driving around. These plains are vast and endless, they extend as far as the eye can see, and many areas are undriveable because there are massive holes in the ground, or water, or trees. Yet our guide never got lost, he knew the most efficient way to get to places, he knew where different animals lived, and could even tell the difference between specific animals like lions based on their markings. His knowledge of plants and animals was extensive (I fact-checked afterwards a couple of times to be sure!). Every animal that we asked to see (even different birds), we saw! Not to mention -- a lot of these guides' families live far away and they stay in Masai Mara for weeks at a time or more without seeing them.
The other staff at andBeyond were also great. They assign you a waiter (our was Joel, he was wonderful), and a housekeeper (Simon, also wonderful) to help you through your whole stay. Joel arranged a special candlelit dinner and surprise cake for our wedding anniversary. The property is beautiful, the tents are absolutely amazing (they have everything in them from bug spray to bed warmers which they bring you at night), and there's tons of little things that they do to make it a luxury and fun experience -- one of my favorites was there's a little wooden cubby accessible from both outside and inside the tent where Simon would place coffee and hot chocolate in the morning. Also the food was excellent. I'm a pescatarian and had no trouble with the menu at all, there were a lot of options. There were a few babies/small children at the camp and I could see the staff went out of their way to help those families stay comfortable. andBeyond also offers a bunch of other activities. We did a visit to the local Masai village (highly, highly recommend), and also a walking tour. Our guide was Moses, who is of Masai heritage, and so he showed us all the different plants that grow in the area and what they are used for medicinally. A zebra walked right by us on the tour.
I have seen many reviews where people recommend Bataleur, andBeyond's sister camp, over Kichwa Tembo. I have no idea why, considering they are five minutes apart from each other and you would see the same animals. I've stayed at many top hotels around the world and I think Kichwa Tembo is up there with the best of them, and the aesthetic is more modern and appealing to millennials and Gen-Z. Bataleur and the other camps are decorated in more of a traditional colonial style, and although they are described as "nicer", it's not my aesthetic. Kichwa Tembo doesn't have bathtubs, only showers, which was perfectly fine for me, as I never take baths and it's really not a good use of water in a place like Masai Mara. I think also because it's been slower since Covid, there weren't very many people at Kichwa Tembo or generally in Masai Mara. 3 out of the 4 days, we had the whole car to ourselves. Oftentimes looking at the animals, we were the only ones out there --- unless it was a rare animal like a rhino. All the drivers have radios and tell each other the locations of rare animals they see so that others who are searching can also come over. On the Triangle side, when there are multiple cars they stay at a respectful distance and there is a 5 car limit rule that everyone follows. Only 5 cars can be up front and if there are more they have to hang back until one of the cars leaves.
I felt very safe in terms of Covid the whole time. All the staff and other guests wore masks and you are outdoors the whole time. There were hardly any mosquitoes at all (apparently the elevation is too high). Overall, the experience was just excellent! Can't recommend enough.
NL
under20 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Lovely people, who take great care to create the best possible experience for you.
We have been away for over a week with a tour every day. First we did the coffee tour which i was really excited about. This was a very good experience where i learned a lot. The people running the guides were very open and we had a great time with them. About all trips including safari, massia+ hot spring, waterfalls and mount kilimanjaro I was struck by how well organized everything was. The people are very flexible and work hard so that you as a tourist have the best experience. we certainly made a lot of friends for life. I didn't feel stressed the whole trip and knew I could count on Octavian.
