Email Glynis Holmes | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Amazing experience that everyone needs to do.
My safari experience in Kenya was above and beyond my expectations! The company we booked it with, Spirit of Kenya based in Nairobi, delivered exactly what they promised and more. Our guide and driver George was friendly, informative and generous and extremely helpful. He helped make this the best holiday experience we have ever had. I never realised there were so many animals in Africa. We saw everything possible except a leopard. Best experience when a herd of elephants came to our hotel within touching distance! Staff and local people and also people from the tribes were so friendly. Would fully recommend or indeed insist that everyone goes on Safari in Kenya!
The safari itself was wonderful but the organisation was poor.
The wildlife was truly wonderful, I have to admit. The organisation and communication by the tour operator Hyrax Safary could be a lot better. On the first day to Maasai Mara we had a breakdown on one of our cars. I know it can happen, thats not the problem. But the cars could be in better condition and in a situation like that the communication is important so that all guests are informed at any whats going on. So we couldnt go on the game drive on day one as we booked it. We arrived too late at the camp. There was the next problem. There werent enough rooms for all the incoming guests; some ppl of the group had to share the room although they booked an own one. The other things were good and the driver tried his best to show us all the animals. But again his communication level was poor and he only spoke to us when he was asked something.
ES
Email Maite Sirvent | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
One of the best experiences I have seen in my life
We could see many wild animals,close and in a safe way.the food and accomodation was not bad at all.we had a van as our transportation and max as our guide and driver...dificult roads,but he drove well and gave us information about places and animals.very good in quality/price.mark,our assistant in Nairobi,helped us a lot....thank you very much.
A paradise for wildlife
Wanderful stay. We visited Samburu, Baringo Lake, Bogoria lake and Nakuru lake during the first week : very interesting nature reserves, easy to visit with your own car.
Then we had a 3 days safari in Maasai Mara reserve, where we could see all kinds of wild animal, and even cheetas !
Only one disppontment : Lamu, which is in a very bad condition and dirty, despite it was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Have a great trip to Kenya !
Email Ramona de Niese | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Safari was amazing, but the roads were terrible!
We booked our tour through Skywide Tour and Travels, Nairobi, a travel agency recommended by Safari Bookings. We live in Melbourne and were a little bit nervous about using a company in Nairobi, but all our plans were listened to and booked and all went very smoothly.
The scenery on the way to the Maasai Mara was magnificent, especially the Great Rift Valley. The weather at this time of the year was quite mild and in fact we needed a light jacket in the early mornings and evenings. The accommodations range from 2 to 5 stars and there are plenty to choose from. We were on a budget so we used 3 star accommodation and it was quite satisfactory. The food was international and well presented. It is also good to try the local cuisine. The most unpleasant part of the trip was the roads. There is a sealed road for most of the way but the last 30kms is on a gravel rd which is so full of pot holes etc that you have to drive on the wrong side of the road to avoid doing damage to the car. If you suffer from car sickness, I would recommend that you take a small plane flight to the national park. The tracks in the national park are also very bad and you get tossed around all over the place! We had our own driver for the 2 of us and it was wonderful as you could ask him to stop for photo's or animal viewing as much as you wanted.It certainly is very exciting to see so many animals in the wild, and it was very exciting to see the lions just lying around. They are hard to find but your driver/guide is expert at finding animals. There are quite a lot of safari vehicles in the parks and they all keep each other informed of all sightings. We were lucky enough to see 3 of the big 5 in the Maasai Mara. We arrived just at the tail end of the migration but saw lines of Wildebeasts and Zebras, as far as you could see. We stayed at Ol Moran Camp which is a permanent tented camp just out side the national park and it was basic but nice. It was a surprise to us that all the places we stayed at in the national parks run on generators and the power is only on from 6-10pm and in the mornings 6-9am so make sure you take a torch! My husband uses a cpap machine so he was unable to use it. Always check the electricity availability if you need it overnight. I think all the lodges and hotels may have restrictions on electricity.
Skywide also booked the Tanzania and Victoria Falls component of our trip as well. All was perfect.
Everything worked out as described/promised.
Everything as advertised/promised including transportation and accommodation.
Despite teething troubles at the beginning it was really really fantastic!
All in all our safari was truly fantastic and we were very impressed by the amount of wildlife we saw. However, what was not so good was that our first hotel was changed. It was supposed to be upgraded but it turned out that we had actually been downgraded to a horrible Chinese owned lodge that was still in construction. Their was a distinct smell of open sewage from our terrace. Food was like being in a self service canteen. It was a TERRIBLE start to our holiday. We complained bitterly about this to the safari operator and in the end we got better hotels in compensation. So it worked out well in the end. What we also didn't like and I think is really worth saying is that we heard of some drivers being drunk on the job and turning up late for their clients. When you have paid a lot of money and flown half way across the world then you want to have a driver who cares and is responsible. The roads in Kenya are particularly rough and you need a good and competent driver to make sure you are all safe. Our driver was competent and always on time, however, he did have a bit of an attitude problem which was very unprofessional. However, all in all it was a fantastic trip and I can't thank Mr Othiellon of Kenya Walking Survivors enough for all his organisation. He was always very co-operative and answered any email queries I had straight away.
PL
Email Krzysztof Dziubiński | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Awesome experience!
Awesome place to see so many animals in their natural habitat. Definitely unforgettable experience!
Email Lorraine Cranfield | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
Wonderful to see the animals in the Garden of Eden, a true paradise on earth.
My son and I spent three nights at Basecamp Mara. Our well equipped tent stood alongside the river and from our deck we could see and hear the animals across the river which was often forded by the baboon troupe who lived in the tree opposite. The campsite was about a ten minute drive away from the entrance to the Mara and was very well laid out with paths through the many trees surrounding the tents. The dining area was lit by candles only in the evening, the food good and the staff very attentive. Nearby was the fire pit and seating area where we could socialise with other guests and sample the local culture as we were entertained by the Masai singing and dancing. We were escorted around the camp site after dark by a Masai carrying a torch and spear!
Our driver/guide collected us from Nairobi and was with us for the four days of our trip before taking us back to the airport. George was an extremely good, careful driver who was extremely knowledgeable and enthusiastic and good company. He planned our game drives in the Mara well and we enjoyed a 'bush breakfast' and on another day a picnic lunch watching a group of cheetahs. The wildlife was plentiful we saw herds of elephants, giraffe, buffalow, wildebeasts, hippos, and at least a thousand migrating zebra who were making the way back to the Mara River and Serengeti. The big cats were much in evidence and we saw many lion and cheetahs plus hyenas. It was wonderful to be so close to the wild life who were unconcerned by the many people gazing at them.
We chose Spirit of Kenya because we were impressed by the clear and organised way they presented their initial quote. The office staff were very helpful and arranged a wonderful tailormade safari for us and absolutely everything went beautifully.
TH
Email Patharin Varanyuwatana | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Every day in Kenya is happy and valuable.
This is our first Safari tour in Kenya.I made wright decition to choose Features Africa Journey as our tour.I pick this company because it is only few years old.The Land Crucer is new.However the driver Gerard has 14 years of experience.He really did his job well.We saw so many animals.The wheather in Kenya during August is excellent.The people in Kenya is really nice especially children .They weave at our car when we passed by. We really enjoy our Safari trip.Thank you the company and people of Kenya.We will recommend the company to our friends.
