50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Dishonest and unprofessional
Firstly it is important to understand that Adventure My Take is not a tour operator, but a travel agent. No matter how much the owner of the company, Tamara, will try and convince you that they use their own vehicles and drivers/guides, this is not true. They have only 3 employees, of which one is a driver/guide and who make take guests on tour during the high season. They also handle airport transfers and city tours in-house, but otherwise they will pass you on to whichever company can squeeze you into their van. The other guests’ tour might look very different from yours, but at no point will you be able to get this information from the company, no matter how many times you ask.
But let me start at the beginning. I chose to book my 3-day Maasai Mara tour with this company, as they were very responsive and offered different options regarding accommodation. I did not want to stay in the most basic option, so paid extra to stay in a lodge rather than a tent.
I also arranged all my transfers through Adventure My Take, as it made sense to work with a single service provider while in Kenya. The confusion around my transfers as well as the lack of professionally by the owner raised some red flags long before I went on tour, but as I had already paid a deposit, there was nothing I could do but hope for the best. I had to keep reconfirming my arrival times, the owner of the company was late on both occasions that she transferred me to the airport, she drove erratically and played loud music and generally would not answer my questions about the Maasai Mara trip.
On the departure day I was not driven to their office to complete the payment as per the itinerary, but straight to the departure point, where Tamara proceeded to tell me that I needed to pay additional “service fees”. As this had not been communicated to me at any point during our many emails and discussions, I refused. It was an extremely uncomfortable start to the trip.
After a long day of driving to the Maasai Mara, the other passengers were dropped off at their accommodation. I was however told that my accommodation was another 80 km away! If you have ever been to this region, you will know how long it takes to drive just a few kilometers on the very bad roads and it was inconceivable that I would have to spend another couple of hours getting to my accommodation and then drive back those couple of hours in the early morning to be at the gate for the 6am game drive. I’m sure the hope had been that I would be so tired that I would just agree to stay in the cheaper accommodation, but I refused. The driver was kind enough to contact his boss, who arranged for me to stay at a camp nearby. The quality of the accommodation was still not what I had paid for and the food was not good, but the staff were incredibly kind and did their best to make my stay pleasant.
Although I have nothing but praise for Edgar and Jonathan who work for this company, I would strongly advise against booking a tour with Adventure My Take. Tamara will promise the earth, but she is not in a position to deliver on those promises. She is unprofessional and dishonest and does not care what happens to you once she has your money. Avoid Adventure My Take!
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Safari at a Great Price!
We only had a short week in Kenya, so we wanted to make the most of our time! Thankfully I found Karibu recommended on another website, so I looked into their safaris. We ended up choosing their 6 day Masai Mara, Lake Nakuru, and Amboseli private safari instead of the shared/group safari since we would have our own van and accommodations. And let me tell you - this was the BEST decision! We could stretch out in our van, put our bags on the seats, ask for washroom breaks whenever, ask to stop for photos, etc.
Our driver was Edward/Cobra and he was great! When we were in Masai Mara, he used his radio and seemed to know everyone. This helped a lot because they told him where to go to find which animal and/or if there was something interesting going on in a certain area. We got some truly memorable and rare photos because of this! We also felt safe with him at all times which is great when you're in a foreign country and don't feel 100% safe on your own. If you travel a lot, you know what I'm talking about! Edward was also great with communication and planning. He always told us the schedule for the next day, and he even helped us maximize our time in Masai Mara when we got stuck in traffic the first day. If there's one suggestion that I have, it's this: We really enjoyed the facts/information about the city, parks, animals, etc, but please tell us more! You're a smart guy and a true Kenyan, so share your knowledge!
Regarding the accommodations: They're not glamorous or luxurious, but you're paying for a BUDGET SAFARI! You're getting a great deal at a great price! It's more like upgraded camping, so here are the must haves: bug spray, flashlight, book to read, game to play (deck of cards maybe), and snacks. The power also went out at all 3 of our hotels/camps at some point, so remember this - if the power is on, charge your phone, charge your camera, and take a hot shower NOW. Don't wait until later, because the power could be off for any amount of time. Could be 5 minutes or 5 hours.
The food: rice, lentils, beef, chicken, lamb, fish, potatoes, fruit, spinach, and chapati (tortilla/bread). That's what's for lunch and dinner everyday. Not great, not horrible, but it does get a little boring after a few days. Breakfast is typically eggs, toast, pancakes/crepes, and sausage. Usually pretty good!
Remember that since this is a budget safari, you won't be flying at all. Only driving and for hours at a time. Our drive from Nairobi Airport to Masai Mara was about 10 hours, so we were very thankful that we had the whole van to ourselves! The van isn't brand new and it isn't a Land Cruiser, but during our trip we saw several vans AND Land Cruisers stuck in the mud/water. I think your driver is more important than your vehicle! Thanks Edward!
We would definitely use Karibu next time we're in Kenya! Very professional and affordable!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Review about Queen Elizabeth National Park by Janice
Fantastic both for close up of wildlife and birdwatching
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
FR
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
The most extraordinary safari!
We started our research for a safari in Tanzania on safaribookings. We asked for various quotes but it was Claws to Africa and the very reactive Fatuma that we selected. She immediately answered our questions and her advice helped us develop the most exceptional safari. We chose the 7-day package (Tarangire, Manyara, Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Eyasi) while sleeping in the tent. Seeing several parks was a good idea because, for example in Tarangire, there are very large groups of elephants that have not been seen in other parks, just elephants in pairs or three. Our safari guide, Fasili had an excellent knowledge of the flora and fauna. He took the time to show us and explain each animal to us. He gave us time to observe through binoculars and take photos. Thanks to him, we could see the Big Five! Fasili had a very good intuition. We saw a Cheetah family and a giraffe family in the heart of the Serengeti, just for us before sharing the information with other 4x4s. It was really beautiful and unforgettable! We got caught up in the game of discovering animals in the savannah which is really not easy! We were fascinated by the several thousand wildebeest, zebras and gazelles with their babies in the plain between the Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Above all, you have to descend into the Crater. It is a wonderful experience and the only place to see rhinos. The weather was very very rainy during our stay. Driving on extremely muddy or completely flooded roads was really complicated but Fasili was a very careful driver, he knew his 4x4 perfectly and not once did we get bogged down. Despite these conditions which demanded a lot of attention, he showed us the animals in the savannah. And arriving at the camp, he pitched the tent for us !!! We loved the experience of sleeping in the tent especially when the buffaloes came to graze at the foot of the tent and the hyenas and the prowling lions! Absolutely guaranteed thrill! Our cook Sangua prepared excellent and hearty meals for us. Changing your kitchen every day requires good organization. The atmosphere was very nice on the camps. The two of us made sure that we had an unforgettable time and that always with a smile and a kind word. Thank you Vasili and Sangua! Highly recommended!
65+ years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Fantastic birdwatching tour
Fantastic birdwatching holiday with Best Jungle Safaris.
My bucket list bird was the Shoebill which we saw on Day 2 at Mwamba swamp.
Forest birding always difficult but our guide Chris did a fantastic job of finding them for us. His hearing and knowledge of bird song outstanding.
Stayed in some lovely lodges. The staff at all the lodges could not do enough for us, and were always polite and courteous.
Food tasted reasonably good. Unfortunately, in the last few days in Uganda both my husband and myself contracted diarrhoea which was confirmed as campylobacter on return home.
Uganda is a beautiful country. Although we were mainly birdwatching we also saw lions, elephants, hippos, buffalo, zebras and giraffe. Scenery lovely. Weather good throughout.
Rogers , our driver, was a very safe and competent driver and a true gentleman.
Overall would highly recommend a birdwatching holiday in Uganda and many thanks to our tour operator.
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing business!!!
My friend recommended this company and we couldn’t be happier with our experience! 24 hrs customer service, excellent communication, personal touch, and so much more! Everything was just the way we planned it. Beautiful Safari with nice guides and drivers! And for our surprise we got a complimentary taxi on the last day or our stay in Tanzania. The taxi picked us from the Ferri, drove us around the town, store our baggage and waited for us to have dinner and then drove us to the airport- all this for no charge!
AT
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
10 days of joy and wonderful animals
We had a great time! Liliane answerd all my questions very fast and in detail, she is very helpful and willing to go the extra mile!
Safari staff (driverguides) are very well educated and easy going, organization is top!
Accomodation, food and overall service was far better than expected for a budgetsafari.
We could see soooo many animals (far more than imagined)!
Ndurumo is highly recommended! We had an awesome time :)
RS
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Incredible adventure
Our Safari tour was amazing and unbelievably experience all thanks to Travel Africa Safari Agency, started with Muhamed the guy who is in charge for communication with all of us who signed up for Safari, he had endless patience and understanding for all our questions and he would kindly reply within very short time, then the Safari guide-driver Jacob was full of information about everything from the various places we pasing by on our way to National parks, customs of local population, various other attractions and interesting things, history.. all about every tree we ask, every plant, every bird, animal, how they live, what do they eat, what are their habits, how to distinguish a male from female and many many more information and all that on very good English, he knew perfectly well where to find all animals so we saw BIG FIVE and many many more animals on our Safari tour, Dula the cook guy made delicious food all 4 days of Safari tour from appetizers, main course, salads to sweets everything was perfect. So an experience worth every dollar and would definitely recommend to anyone to experience something like this with this agency
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Tailored to the Needs and Perfect Performance
Great dialogue before the trip, with flexible approach and valuable input.
Perfect execution of the service during the trip: flawless service everywhere with drivers on time, very clean cars, knowledgeable individuals.
Extremely good service! Definitely worth the experience!