NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A memorable Safari
My wife and I booked the 3-day Panorama Safari which included Tsavo East and West. Steve delivered exactly what we wanted at the price agreed upon and we had a great Safari experience. We particularly enjoyed the small intimate lodges that Paul arranged for us. Particularly memorable was the Rhino Valley Lodge in Tsavo West. This lodge has great rooms, views of the water hole and the food was excellent. The staff were also very friendly. These lodges were much superior to the large impersonal ones we stayed in during our Tanzania Safari. Our driver and guide Peter Kimani was also excellent. We saw lot of animals in both parks although Tsavo east was probably a bit better. We unfortunately did not see any Rhinos but that did not detract from the overall experience.
In the future we are going to arrange a safari to Maasai Mara and when that time comes I will be contacting Steve to handle the arrangements.
SE
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
It Started in Africa delieverd the best service and we had the best trip ever!
From the first contact til the last I've been amazed by It Started in Africa service. They've always answer fast and really did everything they could to make it til our best trip ever.
We did a five day safari (Lake Manyara, Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater) and we can't describe with words how fantastic it was. We had a really good guide, Erisdo and a really good chef who made us good food during the safari. Over all every employee we met was extremely helpful and friendly.
We really recommend to book the safari with It Started in Africa. You'll not be disappointed!!
SA
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
A visit to Kenya with Africa remote safaris an excellent trip it was
Kenya Safari was wonderful
We came between late December and had an amazing trip !!
A sensational discovery, Kenya and its wildlife.
For Photography enthusiasts , this is the place ... , hoping to recapture the magic of the wildebeest migration in two years time, the big five and others.
Africa Remote Safaris,thank you for the quality of its services and soon !!
African adventure
Falcoln Safaris were extremely helpful in booking Chobe Safari lodge and very flexible with the tour arrangements. The transfer drivers were really wonderful: professional, friendly, informative and super helpful. We changed our mind about a tour and our guide was really accommodating and felxible. We would definitely recommend Falcoln Safaris and the Walking with Lions Tour.
Better than expected
Tour was seemless (and the cheapest after a few quotes).
I had a 4 day stopover in Kenya after travelling Ethiopia.
I was given several different options for my time, but chose a fairly standard 4 day Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru. I chose a mid-range shared tour, but given the time of year we ended up being the only ones on the safari.
The lodges were much better than expected, and we saw all the wildlife we hoped:
Mara Sopa lodge - on a hill at the entrance to the park where a lot of wildlife congregates. The rooms are large and lovely with separate cabin overlooking the gardens. Nice pool and view, bar and restaurant. Food was all buffet and of a good standard quality.
Lake Nakuru lodge - Hilltop position overlooking the lake and the park. This is a large lodge (with a great pool/bar area). Room were more standard hotel, with a balcony which was nice to sit on and watch zebra and buffalo graze in front. The food was a la carte and of good quality.
The driver (Cyrus) was also great, spoke great English and always wanted to be first in the park in the morning to get maximum wildlife viewing.
Id recommended the company.
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Kenyan travel company with know how
I shopped around for tour packages for a group of eight with a number of tour companies. We found Aslan to be most knowledgable about current conditions of hotels, parks, etc. To top this off, Aslan also offered us the most competitive rates on lodging and transportation (a good 15% cheaper than then next cheapest quote for the same itinerary). Aslan actively negotiated with the lodges and managed to get our young children free stays at a number of the lodges. They also provided us with a very warm, knowledgeable, and overall very apt driver with a good 4x4 vehicle. Request Shadrack as your guide and driver if booking through Aslan.
We will undoubtedly use Aslan Travels for all future travel plans in Kenya!
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
There is no way we can do our trip justice in one sentence.
Words can not begin to describe the safari eTrip Africa provided for my family and me. From the initial contact 10 months prior to our departure date, to the selecting of the accommodations, to picking daily activities, and through the actual tour, eTrip Africa could not have been more patient and accommodating.
Our initial contact with eTrip Africa was with Aurelie. Aurelie made sure we understood everything from day 1. From help with accommodations (we ended up with a mixture of tented camps, luxury tented camps, and lodges), medical requirements, travel insurance (we ended up using Worldwide Travel Group), outfitting (we got outfitted by Tent and Trails in NYC), and mundane questions (like what type of electrical outlets are in Africa, is there wi-fi, etc), Aurelie was always there to assist us.
Our arrival in Kilimanjaro was our first exposure to Ben from eTrip Africa. He helped us load up our car (our car would become our mobile home away from home for the next 8 days), introduced us to our driver Yusuph (more about him later) and explained our itinerary to us on our drive to the African Tulip (a quaint boutique hotel in Arusha).
After a welcome night sleep and a filling breakfast, we headed out on our safari. Yusuph provided us with insight into the African culture and the history of the area. I can honestly say that without Yusuph our trip would not have been half as enjoyable. He is a wonderful tour guide (not to mention being unbelievable behind the wheel of our Toyota Land Cruiser)! My daughter recently got into photography and Yusuph never lost his patience while she waited for the "perfect shot" or "just the right angle". As a result, we have to wade through almost 11,000 pictures (that's right, 11,000 pictures in 8 days)!
Coming from a family of travelers, this African Safari was up against some pretty stiff competition. It was up against trips to Europe, Japan, Costa Rica, Mexico, Israel, and various Caribbean Islands. I can honestly say that my son and daughter have both proclaimed this trip as "the best trip of my life" and my wife is still saying she can't believe she was in Africa.
Our only regret is not being able to contact Yusuph to thank him again for making this trip truly a once in a lifetime experience.
AT
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Lake Bogorio to Lake Naivasha
It was my first Safari with AWS, the second with Joseph. All and everything was exactly as planed, dreamed of. (well, the Flamingos went to Tanzania while we were at Lake Bagorio ..:-)) Joseph is the most relyable Driver with knowledge of animals, culture, history. This because I always will contact AWS as soon as I will plan my next trip to Kenya or any neighbourhood. Thank you guyes, you did a very good Job at creating your own tour Office!!! I will recommand you to everybody with very best consience - friendlyness, Fairness, respect - there never was a tiny doubt. Thank you for making trust you all the way. Thank you so much for being there, Joseph.
DK
20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
It was very rewarding and actually one of the most enjoyable vacation we've ever had,....
Simba Paka Safaris is the best and i can recommend to anyone ❤️❤️❤️
US
35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
A disorganized, dishonest and dishonorable company. Run away as fast as you can!
I usually don’t write negative reviews as most of my traveling experiences have been positive up until now. I used this company as a recommendation from a friend who previously booked and had a marvelous climb with Kunda (mountain guide). Despite reading just mediocre reviews we booked with Elkan Safari. We booked both a 4 day safari/ Kilimanjaro climb w Kunda Kilimanjaro guide). The cost was all inclusive w gate prices but the end of tour the owner ripped us off an additional $460 usd. The original price was all inclusive, including entrance fees but as we went along with itinerary there were several “Surprise costs” along the way. Stranded at the gate w crew and other tour guest we were basically forced to pay beyond agreed amount. We confronted him several days prior to departure about error, he confirmed to meet us to refund money. He did not show up, was unreachable and did not fulfill the rest of the itinerary leaving us stranded for a place to stay. The kicker and deal breaker for me is not only did he not pay us our outstanding $460, but he not to pay the climb team or bus driver upon returning from climb leaving exhausted men stranded with no money after 7 grueling days of hard work. It is one thing to cheat and hustle tourists, but it is a whole another thing to cheat your own people and employees. These men practically killed themselves climbing up and down difficult Mt. Kilimanjaro w 23+ kg of supplies each on their heads. They left their families and home for 7 day and received no pay. That is the ultimate low. Victor Goodman, owner of Elkan Safari, Ltd, lied and stole from his clients and employees. Stay away from this company and his other listings Kilimanjaro Champion. As of today, he still hasn’t paid his employees or the money he owed to us. Truthfully there are literally hundreds of companies out there for safari and mountain climbs so why take a chance with one that clearly has a reputation for ripping people off!!!
On a positive note, porters and mountain guides contracted, Kunda & Omary were simply magnificent. They took care of us and helped us reach the top!!! They salvaged our ruined holiday by making our climbing experience once in a lifetime. Kunda and Omary (mountain guides), went upon and beyond and assisted us when Victor left us stranded and them salary-less. They even met us the following day to make sure we made it out of Arusha safely to our next destination. We are forever thankful to them.