Kenya Travel Guide

Beautiful Kenya.....disgraceful Tukio!

We travelled to Kenya for a safari trip of a life time. We absolutely loved Kenya, it’s wildlife and it’s people.
Kenya is a fabulous country to visit for Safari and seeing the Big Five.
However, just be advised that it is expensive, for example we paid €60 fora bottle of wine in a restaurant and we got the feeling that it was not just the wilder beast that are easy prey but tourists are very much so too.
Our tour company Tukio were good at the planning stage but we were let down very badly by them regarding accommodation. We tried to book a five star lodge which was only available for one night though we wanted two nights, and we offered for the same price, a completely different far inferior lodge in which we felt unsafe and could not even eat the deplorable food which was presented to us. When we wanted to change lodge we got very poor service from Tukio, who did very little to help our situation. We would definitely advise not using this company.

The place is very cool

The beauty between the animals inside the cage and the free ones are way different. You will feel them alive and happy. It was very beautiful place to be!
However, there are part of the tour that we didnt do and did not advise us earlier why we are not doing it so. And im talking about the spring or thermal bath. We could have spend more time cycling than bringing us back to Nairobi, there are still plenty of time.

Kenya Safari- Masai Mara and Amboseli- January 2020

Went on two 3 day safari's in Kenya, first to the Masai Mara and the second to Amboseli. All in all the two trips were good value given the low price, I've listed the pros and cons below.

Pro's-
-Amazing scenery and wildlife, you cannot get any wilder than the Masai Mara! You will more or less be guaranteed to see at least 3/4 of the big 5!
-Amboseli is one of the most scenic safari parks in the world with the Kilimanjaro backdrop! It really is a photographers dream!
-Food is good given the facilities (used to cook the food)- have a broad mind and enjoy the flavours!

Con's-
-For 3 days there is just too much driving from Nairobi to the Masai Mara and back. Amboseli and back is manageable because the distance is considerably less. And the roads are absolutely terrible in places, choose a more expensive vehicle- anything other than a 4x4 is not suitable!
-Wildlife is heavily dependent on the season- better in the dry season. We saw lots of wildlife in the Mara, but didn't see hardly any wildlife in Amboseli except lots of elephants and the general assortment of other smaller animals like antelope etc.
-Be prepared to eat the food, it wont be what you are used to at home!

This was a fascinating experience, both in terms of nature and in culture!

The trip to Masai Mara was incredible, filled with amazing animals and wondrous scenery, especially at sunrise. The guide was conscientious about keeping us in the vehicle for our safety, but there were times when he would go off the trails, which did raise some objections among our group. I took the five day tour, but I would recommend a three-day safari instead. The only real bad part of it was the camp, and really only when we tried to sleep--the mosquito nets were ineffective, and on the second night, the power was out (I use a CPAP when I sleep, so this was a real problem for me), and as a result, I did not sleep well until the third night when we got to stay in a hotel.
I and other members of our group found the meeting in the Masai tribe very interesting but a bit problematic: When we were offered a chance to visit their village, we were charged a fee, which they told us was to support the village. We accepted this, but then we were confronted with peddlers in the village and railroaded into making a donation to the school we visited. This can strike a western tourist as dishonest, and it may help avoid awkward confrontations if these things are also mentioned upfront instead of sprung on us at different stages of the visit.

Out of Africa Wildlife beauty

Going to Kenya on Safari is a must if you love to see animals in the wild. I visited the Masai Mara which to me was worth it- I was able to see most animals except for the Rhino and the Lion. I saw several Lionesses but not a Lion. Seeing the animals in the vast expansion of the park was priceless. We also drove to the border of Tanzania and along the Mara river where we saw Hippos and Crocs just hanging out. The final visit was Lake Nakuru where I was lucky to see both the white and black Rhino but I do not recommend this stop. It feels more like a drive-in Zoo, its a much smaller park and you do not get the sense of vastness as in Masai Mara. You can still see many giraffes, Zebras and war hogs but in comparison to Masai Mara not worth it. The lake is also far and the flamingos you don't really see. On safari the packed lunches and picnics are disappointing, wether low or mid-range budget. This is for sure an aspect they need to improve. We had some vehicles problems that delayer our trip considerably but the tour operator managed to get us to our destination by hopping on other tours.
The people in the country were very nice and welcoming. There is a good food scene in Nairobi with lots of modern fusions and foodie places to explore. I particularly enjoyed visiting the Karen Blixen museum having read the book and seeing the movie I wanted to visit the site. There are many areas in Nairobi where you can shop and mingle with the locals, we did not feel unsafe at any moment and found everyone very kind.

The African skies were amazing a contrast to Malawi

I spent 3 nights in the Masa Mara between volunteering in Malawi and Kenya. It was an amazing interlude between the 2 countries and we had 2 excellent guides and drivers. It's possible to see some fantastic game without spending a fortune by staying outside the park boundary. This is not luxury but more than adequate with ample food and some timed internet. The scenery was amazing.

It was simply beautiful

We really enjoyed the tour. The vastness of the parks is impressive. There is something to discover everywhere. The landscape alone is fantastic. Watching the animals makes it even more exciting. Our driver Maromaro was very friendly and drove us safely through the areas. We met a lot of elephants, which was exciting because they were very close to each other. We will have fond memories of the safari.

Great experience with one exception

I had a great time on my trip to Kenya. I will start with the negative and then go with the positive. I became dehydrated on the trip. The first day we travelled over 8 hours and were not given any water, nor were we allowed to buy any. We made several stops, one over 30 minutes, and our driver just talked to people. Nothing, just chilling with his friends. Then we ask to get out and he refused to get out. Then would not give us any water. Being someone how has leg cramps and an athlete, water is VERY important. It was told on our trip that all water would be given to is. It was not. Also on the last two days we were not given any water either. So three dya we went without any water in the hot place. We had to buy the water, after we were told it would be free.

That part aside, it was one of the best vacations of my life. I enjoy seeing the animals and I was able to see all of the big five except for the leopard. The animals were very fun and it was good to experience life in Africa. I never knew there were that many animals out there. We also, one day, saw the elusive and highly endangered black rhino. Our guide told us that he usually only sees them about every 100 days. So that was super exciting. Being a teacher, I have to travel cheap and this was a great value for the trip. The food was the same every meal, but there was plenty of it. The places you stay are good, if you remember it is a budget experience. I did not mind it at all and met some really cool people. I used Safari Line Defender and Rose was the one who set it up for me. It was all very professional.....with the exception of the water.

I would highly suggest using this safari Line Defender and work with Rose. It was a GREAT time!!

There are much to see and it offers everything one can expect in terms of wildlife and animals.

Kenya is fine for a packaged safari tour.

Kenya has been the classic safari destination for decades. The tourism infrastructure is well developed, so options abound. One can witness the highlights of Kenya on a budget group safari, indulge in the luxury of a private tour, or embark on a rugged exploration of remote Northern Kenya. The people are friendly, the food is tasty, and the scenery is fabulous. However, industrial tourism has taken its toll on the experience. Entrance fees (ask for an itemized list of your package tour costs) to the parks are outrageously expensive. Mini vans crowd around predator sightings, and the neglected remote parks have fallen victim to poaching.