A trip of a lifetime
This was a last minute decision we made to check out the masai mara and after calling and discussing a few tour operators, we decided on expedition kenya safari. They gave us great information that made it easy for us to make a decision within a short amount of time and they were patient since we asked alot of questions. We had a guide by the name of Stanley who was super friendly and entertaining. We felt like we had known each other for a while. Our highlight was when we saw group of lions take down a zebra. We will be back.
PL
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Unique experience!
We choose 5 day safari (Gorillas Tracking + Chimpanzee). And really couldn't be better. Places we stayed were beyond our expectations. Wildlife experience was just spectacular. Actually it's hard to put it in words, what you feel when you're just a few meteres from those majestic creatures. We were also very lucky to have a Joseph as a guide. Very funny and cool guy who answered thousands of our questions, was looking after us and made really unforgettable memory. Encounter Africa Safaris is really trustworthy crew.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Fantastic experience! Ancient Wild Safaris took amazing care of us!
My wife and I went on a 7-day safari to Samburu, Lake Naivasha, Hell’s Gate, and Maasai Mara through Ancient Wild Safaris for our honeymoon and we couldn’t have possibly been more pleased!! From the very beginning of booking, Michael was very helpful and happy to accommodate a few special requests we had (adding an extra day in Maasai Mara to the itinerary). They offered to pick us up directly from the airport, but we wanted to arrive a day early to help with the time change adjustment. Michael and Joseph (our guide for all seven days) arrived right on time at our hotel the next morning, and Mike went over the entire itinerary in great detail. Joseph was an amazing guide! He listened to what we wanted, kept track of all the animals we’d seen, and would continually find and spot more and more new animals for us.
We could not have asked for a more perfect tour guide than Joseph! He has been working in the safari industry for ten years and is extremely knowledgeable of all locations and animals, including being able to name every bird we spotted. He even keeps a couple books in the care of the animals and birds found in East Africa to share with his passengers. This was great when we wanted to learn a little more about the leopard we were watching sleep in a tree ☺. Everything Joseph does is to ensure that you have an amazing time, always saying that it is important that every client receives excellent attention when they’ve paid so much money and travelled so far. His van (which is four-wheel drive) is exceptionally capable, even pulling out multiple trucks stuck in the mud. The roof rises up about 2-3 feet (and is constantly open during game drives) and the windows slide horizontally so you can always snap great photos. He even has a power outlet installed in the van so you can charge your phone/camera while on game drive should the need arise. You are in excellent hands with Joseph!!!
We were on a budget safari and were very surprised at how nice the accommodation was. We weren’t exactly sure what it meant to be in a “camp”, but it was much more sophisticated than we expected. In every location we had our own private bathroom with a shower in our room, mosquito nets (not that we actually needed them), power outlets to charge electronics, and we received three hot meals a day (except when we were on game drives, in which lunch was packed for us), and plenty of bottled water was always available in the car with Joseph.
Thanks to Joseph we saw every animal we could possibly think of including all of the Big 5!! Elephants, rhinos, giraffes, all types of gazelle and antelope, topi, hippos, zebras, wildebeast, water buffalo, crocodiles, lions, cheetahs, leopard, hyenas, jackals, monkeys, baboons, dozens and dozens of different species of birds. The list simply goes on and on!! And Joseph always knew where to find them! The guides all have CB radios and because Joseph is so knowledgable of all the parks, whenever an animal sighting (e.g. lion or leopard) was reported he always knew exactly where to go.
While in Maasai Mara we toured one of the Maasai villages, getting to go inside their homes and learn about their unique culture and identity. This was a truly humbling experience and a highly recommended part of visiting the Maasai Mara park! The villagers were extremely friendly and welcoming, taking great pride in their home and eager to share with us.
An added bonus that I had not anticipated was the driving between the parks. This allowed us to see the beautiful Kenyan countryside and see what the country holds outside of just tourist attractions. As another added bonus, Joseph knew of and took us to several fun local attractions that fall on the route between parks. We really felt like we got to see Kenya!
An important note:
-The hotel we stayed in the first night didn’t want to exchange a $100USD bill because it was older than 2000, but Michael and Joseph took care of it for us. So be sure all the cash you bring was minted in 2000 or after, as many places won’t accept it due to the ease of counterfeiting.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tarangire National Park by Isabell
A very recommendable park with a great variety of animals and landscapes. With its river at the heart of the park it offers also a very scenic landscape. We didn't regret it at all visiting this beautiful park.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Serengeti National Park by Isabell
Visiting the Serengeti was (next to Ngorongoro) one of our highlights. A very impressive landscape, amazing animals and a great accommodation (tented camp) made our visit unforgettable. At some spots it was a bit crowded, but some parts of the park were very secluded.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Lake Manyara National Park by Isabell
The park was quite nice, but after beeing in the Serengeti and Tarangire NP it had no "wow effect" on us. We still enjoyed a visit, but be aware that you won't necessarily see a lion even if the park claims to be the place where you can find lions on trees (which we saw before at Serengeti).
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Arusha National Park by Isabell
We didn't see that much animals at Arusha National Park (though it's always a matter of luck). But we still enjoyed the different landscape and beauty of this national park. We also booked a walking safari to the waterfall which was really a great experience. It's definitely something totally different (and worth doing) as you feel more like beeing a part of the nature than you would do sitting in a car. Moreover here you can find animals you won't see at the Serengeti such as colobus monkeys.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Very scenic National park
The Ngorongoro Crater convinces with its unique and very special landscape. The variety of animals within the crater is large, though there cannot be found every animal (no giraffes, almost no elephant, ). But seeing the animals in such a special, kind of surreal landscape is absolutely worth a trip. I wouldn't want to miss it. Of course due to the area enclosed by the crater rims, you will see many other visitors and won't have the feeling of beeing alone in this area like it might be at the wide plains of Serengeti. But we had no impression, that the crater would be too crowded. We can highly recommend a visit at this very special and beautiful place.
DE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Tanzania by Isabell
We experienced Tanzania as a very tourist-friendly, easy accessible country with a great variety of wildlife animals. That's why you will see many tourists/ Safari companies on your trip. Not all respect nature as they meant to do (we saw some tour companies driving off-road where it was prohibited just to offer their guests more spectacular views), but overall it's a great experience to watch the animals throughout the National parks. Compared to Uganda, where I've been on Safari before, Tanzania is a lot more crowded (as the accessibility is better and the tourism is more developed), but I saw more different animals/ landscapes in Tanzania.
IT
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Pleasant holiday with Kenya Budget Safaris
Esther is a friendly yet serious professional.
She has been of great help in organizing and customizing our trip to Kenya. We've been able to fine tune every aspect of our stay: tour programme, hotels/resorts, costs.
Moreover, we had a very good time with Henry who is a skilled driver and an experienced guide. We had the opportunity to learn a lot from him.
People from Kenya Budget Safaris have managed to make our holiday unforgettable.