CH
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
First class tour operator!
Peafowl Tours was recommended by a friend - super glad I used them for my Masai Mara safari. They were fantastic to deal with. Communication was always timely and comprehensive, they secured me great accommodation and a highly skilled guide, and it was a reasonable price for a super safari experience. I definitely recommend Peafowl Tours to anyone looking for a safari tour operator in Kenya. I look forward to booking with them during my next visit!
FR
35-50 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Amazing experience
I had the best experience hiking Mount Kilimanjaro with Life Journey Experience. I choose the 8 days Lemesho Route after they recommend it.
I couldn't get to the top if it wasn't the support of the crew, everything was super cool and well planned.
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
They are fantastic!
An unforgettably awesome experience. Moses and his crew lead five of us up Kilimanjaro with constant professionalism and attention to detail. They did daily rundowns of what to expect during morning coffee, and our oxygen levels were monitored throughout. I am trained in wilderness medicine and crisis response, and was thoroughly impressed with the way the team worked together to ensure the safe and memorable experience of a lifetime. Kilimanjaro is not easy for everyone, but Moses and his team ensured that we knew what to expect and facilitated a successful experience for us all. To be a guide, one must have a wide variety of hard skills, technical knowledge, and interpersonal soft skills. These guys check all the boxes and we had a blast with them! If you're considering this company, look no further. You won't regret it and you won't forget it!
IE
50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Tubale Safaris offers a professional and knowledgeable experience of Uganda
Annette's communication from the start has been excellent,emails answered promptly,great value for money,we went mid range and all lodges were spectacular,meals and water included,Herman,our guide was very professional,friendly and extremely knowledgeable about all birds and wildlife
US
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
I summited Kilimanjaro because of Face of Africa
At age 30, Kilimanjaro is the first mountain I have summited and the 9-day trek was my first camping trip. You could say it was a go big or go home moment. Face of Africa more than delivered – I truly think that the experience of a lifetime I have was possible not just because of the awesome beauty of Kilimanjaro but the expertise and kindness of the Face of Africa guides and staff.
When my adventurous friend told me she had an extra spot in a group going to Kilimanjaro, I jumped at the chance to go – when was I going to do the logistical planning needed for a trip of this magnitude on my own?
I went in nervous about being fit enough to finish the trek, unsure if I would reach the top, and trepidatious about the bathroom plan. I came out wondering if I would be quite as comfortable at home as I had been on the mountain with Face of Africa and the environment they fostered among our group (and also way more comfortable communing with nature, thanks to the camp toilet that you absolutely should spring for, and the fearless man Flamingo who carried it).
It takes dozens of people to make a trek like this possible – Face of Africa did the hard work of finding the right people to guide us, feed us, and motivate us to get all the way to the top. Every single person in our group of 8 has made it to the top of Uhuru Peak thanks to Face of Africa.
Our experienced guides Florian, Valence, and Oscar (and our staff of around 30(!!) porters, chefs, and mountain experts) treated te 8 hikers in my group with the care most people reserve for family and their closest loved ones. As a complete newbie to climbing (and the rock scrambling that made up ~5% of the trek) I earned the nickname Ntoto (Swahili for baby). The guides caringly pulled me across the rock faces when I needed help (including a guide my parents’ age who was faster than all of us). And the rest was a walk in an other worldly park through rainforest, pine trees, little caves that made me think of Lord of the Rings, the literal cloud line, and on top of a glacier.
The guides have studied the flora and fauna of the mountains and are experts on it in every sense of the word – through academics (they go to college to be guides) and lived experience. Our guides made sure there was always an oxygen tank present at all times (which no one ended up needing), checked our vitals and advised us on layers to wear / whether to carb load to make sure we were healthy enough to make the journey. All Face of Africa guides are trained in emergency situations - all our guides had experience in rescue situations delivering people off the mountain (which they seldomly need to do, but if you need it you’ll be glad they know what they’re doing).
None of us were unable to summit due to altitude sickness – the experience of our guides ranged from 50 to over 200 expeditions on Kili – and we benefited from every bit of their experience. They took the time to do acclimation hikes, reroute if we needed to, *RAN UP TO HIGHER GROUND TO GET US A SPOT AT HIGH CAMP* the day before summit because it would mean a shorter summit day climb, and with all the newbies in our group this would mean that we had a better chance of making it to the top.
When I tell you I was unprepared for the level of glamping - I still don’t know how to put up a tent because they were always set up and ready to go for us before we arrived at camp.
We ate better on the mountain than I do in my daily life. Our group was half from India and half from the states. We would have been happy with granola bars but our incredible chef Modi made food from across all our cultures and made sure there were options for vegetarians and omnivores alike.
We had a WAITER(!!) whose actual name is Joffrey who woke each of us up every morning with the kindest “Good morning!” and greeted us with our choice of coffee or tea *DIRECT TO OUR SLEEPING BAGS*. Let me tell you, hot tea hits different sitting bundled in a warm sleeping bag above the cloud line while watching the sun rise.
I spoke to trekkers from other groups on the flight out of Kilimanjaro to Addis Ababa – they did NOT all have the seamless and uplifting experience my group did. I describe my journey to the top of Kilimanjaro as “just a really long, beautiful walk” – but this is *because of* Face of Africa. I would not have gotten this from many of the other tour providers.
This is really important: Face of Africa is an ethical company. All members of the staff are from the local community, and (I hate that this is even a question) ate meals when we did. It is not a myth that some companies are predatory and unethical - we saw hungry porters from other companies (and some members of our staff confirmed that they had previously worked for companies that left them to forage for insects on the climb). We saw with our own eyes that our porters ate together when we did. Our group was also so large that there were 2 chefs to feed all the staff. The company owner also allowed us to tip the staff directly to be sure that every dollar of tips went directly to the people who had worked so hard to support us.
Because of Face of Africa, we made it to the top (not all groups do) and we ALSO got countless stories of the mountain, became friends (and had an above the clouds dance party) with our guides and porters, ate like royalty, slept soundly, and were so safe. This is the highest value I can imagine and was still more affordable than *MANY* of their competitors.
I recommend friends, family, and anyone who mentions Kilimanjaro within earshot to go to experience the awe-inspiring wonder of Kilimanjaro, and to go there with Face of Africa.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Wonderful Wildlife and Scenery that is protected and cared for
I visited Lake Nakuru and Masai Mara. In 4 days (3 nights) using Balu travel. Isaac was my private guide and he was amazing. Besides having a hospitality background and gaming experience, he was a friendly and caring guide who made sure that i had a great trip. The hotel in Nakuru ‘Sarova Woodlands’ in Nakuru town was ok with very friendly staff, good internet and buffet restaurant (but no gym) . The tented lodge in Masai Mara ‘Emayian Luxery Lodge’ was amazing. All inclusive and fine dining, jacuzzi in front of the tent and very friendly staff. The two parcs had abundant wildlife including the famous big five. But also many other animals. The facilities inside the parcs are less than in South Africa (no picknick areas with washrooms). This is inconvenient when traveling the whole day. In Masai Mara we made a stop at a crocoldile walk-centre and at the airport for a toilet break, both locations did not have toilet paper.
IN
20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome
Amazing animals I was seen in park...sach a beautiful moment,,🤩🤩😍🥰
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Lake Nakuru National Park by Andre L (The Hague)
+ good access
+ lots of animals, including lions
+ Amazing views over the Lake
- limited facilities in the parc such as restaurant/picknick area/washrooms.
NL
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Review about Masai Mara National Reserve by Andre L (The Hague)
+ good access
+ lots of animals, we saw Buffalo, Zebra, Giraffe, Wildebeest, Rhino, cheetah, hyena, lions and many deers.
+ Amazing views over Savanah
+ Crocoldile river-centre + walking trail
- limited facilities in the parc such as restaurant/picknick area/washrooms.
US
50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Expert
This was the trip of a lifetime as it can be very overwhelming with the selection of tours but was made easy by scheduling with Purity Kiruki and Explorer Kenya Tours and Travel. She promptly answered every question and everything was organized perfectly! Our tour guide, Bernard Njinu (Njinu) was perfect! Njinu was kind, patient, very informative and accommodating (he helped my mom in and out of the Land Cruiser and even found her a step to make it easier). We considered Njinu a friend at the end of our tour. We were able to see ALL the animals that we wanted to see, got great photos and Njinu filled us in with lots of facts about the area and animals. I would recommend if you want to take a safari; book with Explorer Kenya and request Njinu as your guide, you won’t regret it!!❤️
