20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Best tour operator in all of Kenya and Tanzania
Twinkle Star is, without a doubt, the best tour operator in all of Kenya and Tanzania. We booked a custom 3-week itinerary, and James, the Director, worked tirelessly with us to get our specifications exactly as we wished, even changing the itinerary 3 times throughout the trip.
Something to keep in mind is that there are basically three main components of a quality safari:
- The lodging
- The guide
- The logistics (itinerary, vehicle, etc)
#1, lodging, is mainly price-driven. We were fortunate to stay in luxury accommodations the entire time.
#2 (the guide) and #3 (logistics) are entirely owned by the tour company. Here, Twinkle Star shines above all else.
#2 - GUIDE
Our guide on the Kenyan side, David, was a sweet, patient, incredibly knowledgeable man who went above and beyond to give us delightful experiences.
Our guide on the Tanzanian side, Jose, was energetic, friendly, funny, and also incredible knowledgeable. He made our trip wonderful.
Both of these men were the best guides I met throughout the safari.
Additionally, the Director, James, is the kindest and most helpful man in the world. I cannot say this enough! He kept in close contact with us throughout the safari, always asking how he can help, and even giving us generous gifts.
#3 - LOGISTICS
In the logistics, Twinkle Star also shined brightest of all. The entire process was smooth - from incredible safari vehicles, to great meals, smooth transportation, easy check in and safari bookings. Everything was perfect.
I seriously cannot recommend Twinkle Star enough. Our experience with them was lifechanging. They are leagues above other tour operators.
NL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing tour for Chimp trekking
I booked this chimp trekking tour and it was one of the best things I did during my 2-month stay in Tanzania! The communication beforehand was flawless, all guides, cooks and drivers involved were very professional, and during the tour everything was taken care of. I saw so many chimpanzees! Thanks a lot for this amazing tour!
FR
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing tour operator with friendly management and staff
7 Wonders Safaris is an amazing tour operator. I fully recommend them.
We did a private safari of 6 days : Tarangire - Manyara - Serengeti (2days) - Ngorongoro - Lake Natron. Acoomodation in a tent.
What was amazing :
- Our guide/driver Nestory was amazing. So much knowledge about the fauna and flora, the culture and everything. None of our questions weren't answered.
He did everything to make sure we see what we wanted too. I really wanted to see the lionesses hunting, and he make it possible : we were able to see it less than 10m in front of us. I would highly recommend to ask for Nestory as your driver.
- The cook was amazing, we had plenty of tastefully food at each meal.
I would really recommend doing all those parks. I think having two days in Serengeti if possible is really nice, and it is what allowed us to catch the hunting scene.
Thanks again to 7 wonders management and staff, this was an amazing experience thanks to all of you.
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Reliable, flexible, knowledgeable service
Incredible holiday - adventure and wildlife. Native Africa Trails organised a superb trip for us. After two years of covid restrictions we wanted something exciting but it was hard to choose a safari company. After reading a lot of reviews we picked Native Africa Trails because if a recommendation and we are very happy we did. David, our guide, accompanied us from landing at the airport to dropping us back there after our trip. We visited multiple sites and stayed in two lovely hotels, recommended by our guide. For me, the highlight was the for days we spent in the Masai Mara. The variety of birds was astonishing (I am a keen twitcher) and the chance to see so many wild animals in their natural habitat was truly special. David's local knowledge allowed him to find the best spots to find everything we expected to see: lions, cheetahs, leopards, hyenas, hippos, crocodiles, Thompson's gazelles, impala, waterbuck, hartebeest, wildebeest, eland, giraffe, water buffaloes, zebra, serval cats, jackals, and most special of all, two white rhino. David took us off road quite often to drive across the plains to help find the cats and his jeep can safely cross some challenging terrain. It was a magical holiday because of David's organisation and flexibility - he built a unique bespoke experience for us. He speaks English, Spanish, Swahili and a local tribal language fluently, communicates clearly and responds rapidly to any questions. We felt completely safe and looked after at all times. Highly recommended for excellent, reliable service.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing value amazing guide John
We booked a 7 day Safari with Jocky Tours prior to arriving in Kenya. The service they provided was fantastic and everything was organised before we even arrived,they even booked us train tickets for us in advance.
Our guide for the trip John was fantastic nothing was too much trouble for him and he was truly an expert at spotting the animals for us. Everything he organised perfectly for us and he went above and beyond.
Would highly recommend Jocky Tours safari and even more highly recommend John as your guide.
Thanks so much for the incredible trip
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Native Africa Trails offer a fantastic service. David is very helpful and flexible.
We booked a trip from the UK for 5 people, 3 generations of one family. David helped us choose the destinations, hotels and itinerary, to suit our wishes. He picked us up from Nairobi Airport and stayed with us for the whole 9 days, communicating smoothly with locals to gain us the best prices. We stayed in Lake Naivasha first, in a good hotel (great food and beautiful gardens) taking trips out every day. This part of our holiday was quite active 1) a boat trip to Crescent Island National Park, where we walked among the zebras, antelopes and giraffes, and watched hippos, fish eagles and stalks up close 2) a 7 km cycle ride through Hell's Gate National Park seeing more wildlife, the spectacular scenery, geothermal hot springs and a view of the gorge 3) a hike up Mount Longonot, a dormant volcano to look into the crater. This was quite hard work for some of the party but the views were spectacular. There was the option to walk around the rim, an extra 7 km but we decided against that. Next we drove to the Masai Mara where we stayed at the luxurious Masai Serena Lodge, cleverly hidden on the top of a hill, surrounded by trees and bushes. The views and the food were great. Each day, our guide David took us out on a morning and late afternoon game drive in his amazing jeep. He knew where to go looking for the animals we were interested in seeing and during our 4 day stay we saw lions for times (including a pride feasting on a carcass, and a lioness with 4 cubs), three different leopard sightings, three cheetahs together, two serval cats, a herd of over 200 elephants, some very close by, hyenas, jackals, gazelles and antelopes, many giraffes, zebras, ostriches, eagles, storks and many other species of bird. My 5 year old grandson particularly enjoyed our encounters with hippos, especially the morning we had breakfast with them on the banks of the river. There were even some crocodiles. David was a skilled driver who took us off road through terrain that looked impossible in order to get really close to the animals, but in a way that respected their space. It was the holiday of a lifetime and I have no hesitation in strongly recommending Native Africa Trails as a safari company you can trust to deliver very good service with excellent local knowledge. He is reliable and honest.
DK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Asante sana Salehe and Lion King Adventures – hope to ride with you again sometime!
Thank you very much to LionKing Safari and our guide Salehe for a fantastic one-day safari to the Ngorongoro Conservatory.
We started from Arusha at 6 AM and headed for Ngorongoro. Salehe greeted us in the morning in high spirits with breakfast ready in the jeep, sharing lots of insightful background on the way and just maintained a friendly and familiar atmosphere all day.
Spending the full day in the crater we had amazing experiences with a large herd of Elephants surrounding the jeep while feeding and bathing the baby Elephants. Lion brothers resting nearby and two occasions of Lionesses hunting Grant Gazelles literally within five meters of the jeep.
Salehe showed his skills as a picnic master, serving us a wonderful hot mail and a cold beer while overlooking the entire crater from a vantage point.
In the afternoon we saw Hyenas killing a baby Wildebeest. We spotted Rhinos – first one and later three, and all the other animals you would expect, before leaving the crater and returning to Arusha in time for dinner at 7 PM.
What a day and what a great host Salehe, always ready to share from his incredible knowledge of wildlife and fauna.
Asante sana – and hope to ride with you again sometime!
CO
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
4 DAY TRIP TO DIANI
My friends and I had been craving a rendezvous to the Coastal region of Kenya. As chance would have it, we got to learn about African Adventure Specialists through a referral. We contacted them and after a few inquiries we were convinced that they were the guys for the job.
They kept in touch with us as we were enroute and we were delighted to find the driver waiting to pick us at the airport when we landed. The landcruiser they'd sent was sufficient for us. Our package covered accommodation and a tour guide, but boy did they exceed our expectations. The villa they handpicked for us was perfectly fitting for our needs. Very spacious crib with a pool at the front and to top that it was a beach front crib! Waking up every morning to beautiful chilling views from the bedroom balconies is definitely what we signed up for! The foods the guides recommended was worth every dime and so were the games they engaged us in.
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
An effortless adventure into the wild
From conception to completion David was a total professional. He was attentive throughout answering messages and emails quickly. When we arrived in country David was timely and organised. We spent the first four days in Naivasha. All of the excursions were well planned from our bike ride through Hells Gate, to an afternoon walk on crescent island or walking up Mt Longonot. I would throughly recommend all.
After our time in Naivasha we drove to the Mara. David completed the 5/6 hour drive with effortless competence. My young son was sat in the front with him and they chatted throughout. David has a young family himself meaning he knows how to talk to young children, keeping their interest and showing genuine interest. Upon arrival to the
Mara I was stuck by it’s beauty. We stuck to Davids itinerary completing two game drives a day, this allowed for lunch and a swim at the hotel each day. I would suggest this if you have a child with you, a full days game driving might prove difficult for a little one!
The Serena hotel was beautiful and the staff were lovely. We saw everything you could want to see. Rhinos, cheetah, lions, lion cubs, elephants, a number of leopards, servals, hyenas, antelope , birds…. Everything. David can answer questions and identify any animal.
David arranged for us to have the hippos breakfast, I can honestly say that was one of the most magical moments of my life. The atmosphere, food and views were spectacular. He also surprised us with sundowners on the last night whilst out in the Mara. We watched the sun set whilst drinking cold drinks and chatting. A magical experience.
I really cannot rate David enough. From start to finish he was excellent. A real gent and a total professional. Thank you David.
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The arrangement was above and beyond my expectations.
My flight was delayed which meant I would have missed my pick up with the staff and I arrived late at night. But when I got in contact with Emmanuel, he was very helpful in making sure I got a driver for the night and he made sure I make it to the volunteer house that night.
When I arrived, I was immediately welcomed by Emmanuel, the Go Volunteer Africa, Country Coordinator of the Rwanda projects. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The work we did with the women was very important and educating. We have learned a lot during our stay, and would definitely love to come back to this project.
The arrangement was above and beyond my expectations. I felt very welcomed to the group, didn’t take long to get settled. There is a very good mix of professional work and having fun. The staff clearly care about the project, are passionate and were happy to help with any of our needs.
I felt like I really contributed to the local projects which is very fulfilling. We all felt like one big family after a week or so which not only made the program life fun and enjoyable but also made everyone look out for each other and push each other to do better in the projects. It was a nice mix of work and fun.
I had an amazing time and really enjoyed this project it was a culture shock when we first arrived however we were very well informed of what to do and where to go. I recommend future volunteers make sure that you really discuss with the local teams to understand what you are going to do, to get the best out of the program.