This tour is unavailable for new bookings Unavailable for new bookings Find Comparable Tours › Find Comparable Tours

This Tour Is Offered By

Our Mission availing remarkable services to all...

Our Mission availing remarkable services to all...

Absolute Holiday Safaris

4.4/5  
(103 Reviews)
Office In:
Kenya Kenya
Size:
10-20 employees (Founded in 2006)
Member Of:
Ministry of Tourism Kenya & Kenya Tourism Federation.
Tour Types:
Custom mid-range tours that can start every day
Destinations:
Kenya KE
Tanzania TZ
Our Mission availing remarkable services to all...

Our Mission availing remarkable services to all...

Absolute Holiday Safaris - TRA1/47/CO1/2639 is a well established Tour Operator in Kenya based in the City Center of Nairobi. We are known for organizing daily departures to several destinations in Kenya and Tanzania. Our departures comprise Kenya Budget safaris, Kenya Lodge Safaris, Kenya private Safaris, Short Trips, and Excursions, Mountaineering in Mt. Kenya, Kenya and Tanzania budget safaris, Kenya and Tanzania mid-range safaris, Kenya and Tanzania combined Safaris, among other safaris.

Reviews103

Reassuring, friendly and quick at problem-solving
4/5

Had an amazing 7-day Safari tour with Absolute holidays. David was our contact point for the whole tour and when we arrived in Kenya and met him at his office in Nairobi we felt tremendously reassured. He helped us exchange currencies and arranged for one of my missed luggages from the Nairobi airport to be sent to Masaimara on the following day. We booked the 7-day tour package (amboseli, masaimara, nakuru) and saw all the magnificent animals in all its glory. Our tour guide Richard even took us to an additional place out of the itinerary --Lake Elementeita -- where we got amazing views of flamingoes. We spent a lot of time on the road but it hardly seemed tiring because the weather was fantastic as was the driving by Richard. All in all, an incredible experience that I will cherish for life.

Pleasant Experience
4/5

David was the sales representative I was in contact with. He was very responsive and very happy to find ways to accommodate my requests for modifying the itinerary. David's hospitality was fantastic and exceeds that of other companies. The safari was operated by Big Time Safaris. The driver was very friendly and skilled but not outstanding. The driver was not so familiar with the region, which led us to taking some wrong turns. He could also improve his wildlife knowledge as he mistook Grant's gazelles to be Thomson's gazelles. Overall though, the safari progressed smoothly. The accommodations were nice and the van was comfortable.

Highly Recommend!
5/5

This was a great budget company to use. The planning from Nairobi was done so well and we were given everything we were promised plus more. Our guide Richard was a great guy who was easy to get along with, laid back and eager to make sure we had a good experience . In Masai Mara we were out on the main days game drive for 11 hours- it was beyond our expectation.The accommodation is very basic but it was clean, the beds were comfortable and we had hot showers wherever we went. The food is simple and similar every day but really tasty and great to experience local food. I would definitely recommend this company. Good value for money!

Tour operator is good. The fact that they subcontract out the driving/facilitators creates problems.
3/5

We got what we paid for, so the following is not a complaint, but information that you may wish to use to improve your experience. Please note: subcontactors/drivers are not usually directly employed by the tour company, so get phone numbers that you can use in each country, and use local SIM cards.
1. Communications can be improved significantly, as we did not have a local telephone number to call when we went from Kenya to Tanzania - the border crossing "facilitator" was hopeless and left us to stand in the sun waiting for a bus we did not personally have tickets for. A local was kind enough to ring the Kenya phone number we had, and the company then verbally kicked the "facilitator" into fixing the issue.
2. The 2WD small vehicles used in Kenya are very uncomfortable for tall people like me (195cm or so), and get bogged easily - pay for an upgrade to 4WD Landcruiser safari vehicle if it is offered at a fair price. 2WD is adequate, incidentally, but expect the driving to be faster on the rough roads than you would expect. There were only 4WD Landcruisers in the Tanzania part of the trip, and they are much nicer, with plenty of head-room when the pop-top roof is open for animal viewing and photographing.
3. Water is supposed to be supplied on safari - it often wasn't in Kenya. I got a dozen bottles of water for myself and my wife, and the other passengers were so thirsty that they nicked most of them. I do not blame the passengers, incidentally. Water in Kenya was a problem, not in Tanzania.
4. Hot water was not often available for showers.
5. "Eco" camps that we used TRIED to do well, and in Kenya were at lease moderately comfortable (with beds) - but did not care that the roof leaked water onto the bed during a storm. The ones in Tanzania were camps (i.e. tents that were not waterproof , sleeping bags that needed fixing and washing, no hot water for showers, oh, and no towels supplied if we decided to have cold shower). Pay for upgrade in Tanzania, please.
6. i.e. Kenya basic cars, adequate accommodation; Tanzania much better cars, terrible accommodation. Even in the Serengeti there are proper hotels near the camps - pay for an upgrade if you hate tents and boring food, trust me. The tour company can juggle just about any request.
7. Finally, some changes were made without our permission, such as the order we saw some parks, and where we were staying or camping. We did, however, go to each and every place we were supposed to see, just out of order a bit.

Overall, I have to say that the tour operators are extremely competent, offer good value for money, and can accommodate almost any changes within reason.

(It was not my first safari, but the camping issues and my age has made it my last, as I am not a kid anymore and I have now seen what I want to see in Africa - don't let this affect you, as I am just commenting. Also 2 fellow travellers were a pain in the arse, complaining again and again about everything from not seeing lions feeding (they mostly rest during the day), to not getting the photos up close that they wanted IMMEDIATELY, wanting to change drivers because he could not arrange for a pair of binoculars to be returned {left, by them, in another vehicle} IMMEDIATELY, and so on. Animals move, so opportunities change, they were carrying a 65x zoom camera so should not be bitching about the photos of animals being too far away. My Nikon and 200mm lens was more than enough, and sometimes we were so close to animals (especially lions) that I had to change to a 18-55mm lens. I got photos of everything from lions in trees, leopards, cheetah, spotted hyenas, all sorts of herbivores imaginable, flamingos (2 types, up close) and more. In fact I photographed even more variety of animals than I expected (and expectations were high), and was simply blown away by the Serengeti migration. The animal numbers are simply staggering over a vast area. Seeing Kilimanjaro is fantastic, as was the photographs of elephants with Kilimanjaro in the background. Good trip, recommended highly, and my comments are just for your information should you want to do a similar 2 week Kenya/Tanzania budget trip.

Great experience
5/5

Due to mailbox problems, it's only two years later to evaluate absolute holiday safaris. It was a great travel agency. The arrangement was perfect. My friends and I felt very happy. I saw a lot of animals, zebras, lions, elephants, giraffes on the prairie. It is completely in line with the imagination of the grassland, and I hope to go again. Thanks to MR. David of Absolute Holiday Safaris for answering the questions in the mail. Thank you driver Peter, thank you for your 8 days of companionship and service.

Next: Overview Next: Day by Day Next: Rates Next: Inclusions Next: Getting There Next: Offered By

Best price guarantee

Your request will be sent directly to the operator

If preferred, you can contact the operator directly

Disclaimer

  • This tour is offered by Absolute Holiday Safaris , not SafariBookings.
  • This operator reserves the right to change rates advertised on SafariBookings.
  • If you request changes to this tour, the advertised rates will likely change.
  • The exact order, contents and rates of this tour are subject to availability.
  • If an accommodation is fully booked, the operator will suggest a comparable alternative.
  • This tour is subject to the terms & conditions of Absolute Holiday Safaris .