LK
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Had a great time in Kenya
It was a well plan tour with excellent accommodation, transport, friendly and helpful guide / Driver. Eric was very helpful in providing the best tour itinerary to suite the budget and the time we had in Kenya. All in all it was a memorable visit and would like to recommend him to anyone who plans to visit Kenya.
TR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Disaster !
We went to Amboseli and Masai Mara between 11-18 Septembre with Visit Mount Kenya Tours.
This was a terrible experience especially in Masai Mara as
- The company's minivan broke down on the first day as it was a very old and neglected car. They took us to Safari with a normal car where naturally it was impossible to enjoy savannah . The next day we refused to be in that car and we discussed with the driver and hardly found a land cruiser
- The driver (he told his name is Justus) never came to hotel to pick us up at agreed hours for the morning and afternoon safaris , he was always late 1-2 hours. The hotel management told us later that he was drunk on the first day he took us to the hotel
- Although we bought the tour by agreeing that we will stay in Sopa Lodges, the driver in Masai Mara tried to place us in a different hotel saying that Sopa Lodges is full , we discussed with him, He talked on the phone with company owner/manager Rufus then they accepted to take us to Sopa Lodge which was already what we agreed upon. If we did not object hardly, we would miss the opportunity of staying in a really very good hotel ( Sopa Lodge). The driver told us he would place us in a sister hotel !!?? of Sopa Lodge
- The last day in Masai Mara, the driver did not show up at all, we stayed in the hotel, we missed 2 safaris
- The last day when we were leaving the hotel, the hotel did not let us leave because Rufus (owner/manager of visit mount kenya) did not pay to hotel the money we had paid him a couple of weeks before our visit. so we argued with hotel management and they accepted that it was a problem between them and visit mount Kenya , and we left with another car hotel management found for us. We did not return to Nairobi with that driver of visit mount Kenya.
I wont write everything we experienced but my recommendation is that never use this agency!! We will make our officials complaints too.
CA
Great time in Masaai Mara with a few flaws
Overall, Our visit to Masaai Mara has been incredibly enjoyable. But a few things just got a bit annoying after a while:
- Robert told us there would be 7 people in the van, however there were 8. It was a VERY crowded van and during game drives, it got quite hectic
- We were told by the operators that seeing the great migration was a guarantee. We almost cancelled because we saw online that great migration already passed, but he assured us that great migration was happening. Sure enough, there were no wilder beasts... We could've saved it for Tanzania. I highly encourage everyone to do their own independent research... because at the end of the day, its a business for these tour operators.
- The Masaai village tour is NOT free. Its 1000 shillings to enter, which was not clearly communicated by the tour operators. There were a few shocked faces in our group when this was communicated.
However, overall, the people in our group made it worth while. We've met some great friends during the trip and don't regret the decision to visit masaai mara :)
SG
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
professional team, well organised and value for money
I joined a 6-day safari tour to Maasai Mara, Lake Naivasha and Amboseli with my 3 other friends and I must say the tour was very well organized by Safaribook Evolution. Steve was prompt in replying emails most of the time and gave us good advice about our trip. Sam, our driver/tour guide, is absolutely fantastic, he knows very well the way in the national parks and he was very proactive in giving us the best spot for viewing of wildlife. We managed to see all the big 5 in one single day and snap some real good photos. One of us got his luggage delayed due to the airline’s mistake and Steve did his best to communicate with various parties and sent the luggage to somewhere near Lake Naivasha on day 4 for us to pick up on the way to Amboseli. It was a huge relief for my friend and we felt truly thankful of that. All in all, I think the tour was value for money and well delivered up to our expectation. I would recommend it to anyone who is keen to visit safari in Kenya.
HU
Northern Masailand safaris are ahead of the pack
every safari company should follow northern Masailand safari with service and packages. Henry is without doubt the best safari provider. My whole trip run seamlessly without a glitch. Everything was on time. The food was always hot and fresh. Communication was immediate. The service wold class.The itinerary eventful. Accommodations beyond what i expected. this is clearly Henry's field of expertise. Great work Henry.
fun under the sun
Zanzibar is amazing. The blend of cultural and historic vibes creates an almost romantic atmosphere. watching how the women dress and go about their day tending to their children, husband and relatives was a delight. I even bought a hijab for myself! The museums we visited went back to several decades, and although disintegrating, were of unprecedented beauty. The aquatic beaches were a wonder. So clean. So blue. Ohhh so blue. Scuba diving gave us the opportunity to literally swim with the fishes. Sunbathing under the sun with the signature Zanzibar breeze was spellbinding. Northern masailand offers experiences that are singular and personalized. Thank you Henry for my dream vacay!
HK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari/ Kilimanjaro
the Safari was generally smooth sailing and bar the disappointment of not seeing the Rhino, it was very enjoyable. John is a very knowledgeable guide and a great spotter! The tented lodge are very comfortable, complete with shower, running water and flushing toilets. Food was very good too and the pre dinner camp fire is also something to look forward to each time.
Kilimanjaro - had a very enjoyable climb and John and his team are very professional and experienced. The ascent was successful, all of us made it, and this is largely because of his team efforts to ensure we have maximum chance. John had 2 experienced porters together with his 2 assist. guides and himself to accompany the 5 of us up Kilimanjaro. A point to note is the gears that the porters have are mostly very basic and old, so I would encourage future visitors to bring their old gears in using conditions and donate to the team.
US
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A lot of personal attention
I had lived in east africa for several years and had gone on safari before, but our adult son had not. A Kenyan friend recommended Dickson and we were not disappointed. Most safari are showing you the same countryside and the same animals but Dickson gave a lot of personal attention to make sure everything went as planned. His driver was very friendly and a nice person to be with. Dickson selected a very nice lodge, but not the centrally located, high priced units. We took a Kenyan college student that had never been to the Mara with us. She was very impressed. It was a great time. I would recommend Dickson to any one.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Outstanding service with a thorough knowledge of the safari business.
EA put together a 6 week safari through South Africa and Namibia, both self drive, then on to Botswana and a 9 day mobile tented safari, followed by a visit to Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls and finishing with 7 days in Zambia.
There were numerous domestic, international and charter flights and a range of accommodations as recommended by EA.
In all cases, the accommodation, activities and service were outstanding and ran like clockwork.
The local operators were all first class with terrific guides that consistently put us into the right position for that once in a lifetime photo.
Jono and his team exceeded our expectations and I have no reservations in recommending Encompass Africa, to those wishing to see the real Africa.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Do not use this company!
Our expectations were significantly higher due to the higher price and reviews. WE had a lot of problems:
1. Our pickup from our apartment was late and nobody contacted us. Instead, our emergency contacts were used, causing extreme distress when our family couldn't contact us in the park.
2. We were very disappointed that the tour was described as an open safari and we had a closed van that limited our views and ability to take photos.
3. To add to this, our van broke down in the beginning of the tour and we had to wait for 1.5 hours to have it fixed. The cars for the safari should be in good working order.
4. We paid for 2 cabins and were surprised to learn when we were checking in that we had only one. Because of this, our guide was kind enough and gave us his room, meaning he had to leave us by ourselves in the campsite. When we returned from the night safari our guide had left and we didnt have keys to our rooms or knew which rooms were ours. The keys were supposed to be left at reception but when we arrived it was closed and nobody knew what rooms were ours or who had our keys. After about 30 minutes of uncertainty, the guard was able to provide us keys to our rooms. We were exhausted and really did not want to have to go through this.
5. The next day we had a 5:20am pickup time that couldnt happen because our guide had not slept in the campsite and could not get into the park, of course no one told this to us, we were awake since 4:30am. We had woken up at 4:30am and were not picked up until 7:00am. Our emergency contacts were once again called in the middle of the night (6hrs time difference) causing a big worry to our parents again, as they thought something wrong had happened. We believe that we also missed the opportunity to see the sunrise and the animals waking up. We were the only ones left in the campsite by the time our guide arrived.
We we filed a claim and asked for a partial refund due to all our troubles, the company answered stating that they believed they had provided amazing service.
We do not recommend this company at all.