Tropical Wild Expeditions

4.7/5 – 45 Reviews

$694 to $918 pp (USD)

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Picnic lunch in the Wild Masai Mara

Picnic lunch in the Wild Masai Mara

Tropical Wild Expeditions

4.7/5  
(45 Reviews)
Office In:
Kenya Kenya
Size:
5-10 employees (Founded in 2012)
Tour Types:
Customizable private tours and fixed group tours
Destinations:
Kenya KE
Rwanda RW
Tanzania TZ
Uganda UG
Picnic lunch in the Wild Masai Mara

Picnic lunch in the Wild Masai Mara

Tropical Wild Expeditions is a professionally run Safari company based at Nairobi which is a premier safari operator in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. We at Tropical Wild Expeditions are full of passion and enthusiasm about African wildlife and thrive on customer satisfaction.

Reviews45

Horrible, disappointing, empty promises
1/5

As a freelance conservationist and wildlife photographer, my first trip to Kenya was meant to highlight the wonderful work the Kenyan government is doing to save various wildlife from extinction. This trip was self funded and my way to developing a story/book I could use to show the world how well conservation works when we put the welfare of animals first. Each location I requested to visit had a very specific purpose. Ol Pejeta for their work with bringing back the black and white Rhinos, Masai Mara for the Wealth of wildlife thriving due to conservation and Amboseli National Park for the Super Tuckers like Craig. After reading positive reviews of this company, from travelors who mentioned DAVID numerous time as a great tracker who was great at finding animals, I felt confident that they would be able to give me the safari experience I wished for.. (and honestly, the reviews of David is the only reason I chose Tropical Wild Expedition because I wanted a guide who knew what he was doing and was recommended by so many people)

I expressed to Susan what I was looking for and she assured me her company could fulfill my goal. I ask if I could get this DAVID as a guide. Her response was that I would have to wait til closer to my safari date to see if he was available. I ask if I could request him, I never got a response. Susan was well aware of who I was and what my purpose was because once I booked.. she stated she would save me a window seat as well as a beanbag to use for my long lens.

What I was met with however was completely opposite. The disorganization was more and more profound each day. When told this would be a group joining safari, it was only explained to me I would be joining other people (up to 7 others in the same safari truck). I asked if those people would be from the same company.. I never got a response. I figured how bad could it be, joining others to experience the same beautiful animals of Kenya. Aren't we all there for the same reason? But the reality of group joining Safari was so much harsher then I could ever imagine.

The real reality is there could be 7 additional people from up to 7 other companies staying at 7 different accommodations on the same tours. By having so many different companies staying in so many different accommodations, it made actually having a real meaningful safari impossible. Drivers weren’t trackers as promised.. they were simply just drivers taking people from point A to point B completely ignoring the purpose of the safari. Had I known this up front I would have never gone with this company or group joining.

My experience prior to this safari took place in Kruger Nation Park, South Africa.. Drivers/guides had us in Kruger NP before the sun came up and we stayed during the most active part of the morning (and evening) to ensure we saw as many animals as possible. We took breaks during hottest part of the day.

The Kenyan itinerary sent to me by Susan stated AM/PM Safaries at each park (Masai Mara, Amboseli). But the only time I had a pm safari was the first day in Masai Mara. The other days we were lucky if we got into the park before 9:30am and drove around aimlessly during the hottest part of the day while all the animals hid in the shade. Each day we left the park just as other companies we're arriving for the pm safari and we were always back at our accommodation by or before 5pm.

I had 5 different drivers throughout the 8 day safari. It is my understanding (from previous safari) that safari vehicles are equipped with CB Radios so drivers can communicate with other drivers when a sighting occurs.. 2 of the safari vehicles didn’t even have a CB Radios. When I asked the one driver how he will know where there is a sighting, all he said is he’ll get a call on his phone. First full day in Masai Mara, We sat in a cue for nearly 2 hours at a leopard sighting, only to never actually see the leopard because we sat so long the leopard moved. I knew the leopard moved before our driver by watching other drivers interacting with the rangers ( he never got a call bout anything). When it was confirmed the leopard moved (by the rangers moving as well) our driver just sat there letting the other 50 vehicles behind us to go in front of us. I was in Masai Mara for three days, where I was told I would see every animal.. It ended up being the biggest waste of time never shooting a sunset/sunrise, a leopard, lions, lion cubs, cheetahs, ect. We did find a momma lion take a kill to her babies only be to told we couldn’t follow when other vehicles were.. this happened several times missing prime the photographic opportunity I has stated I was looking for prior to booking.

On our way to Amboseli the truck broke down and left us sitting on the side of the highway for nearly 2 hours. I found out through the companies of the other people in my group that we were getting a new truck. When I reach out to Susan, it took her nearly an hour to say, “the driver is handling it”.., no reassurance, nothing. That’s when I was thankful I was in a group with other companies..

The most devastating memory I’ll have forever, is while in Amboseli for 2 days, I begged the driver to try and find CRAIG (the famous Super Tusker). This was a very specific request I made in my first email to Susan nearly 8 months prior when I asked if I could get David as a driver. I even asked if David could track CRAIG. Well I never got David. Nor did I ever meet Craig because the driver I did get didn’t care. I found out within an hour of leaving Amboseli on way to Nairobi, that Craig was in the conservatory not far from the park. If I could find that out within an hour of leaving the park, why couldn’t the driver find that out before leaving the park when I had been asking him for two days. I woke up yesterday to the devastating news that CRAIG PASSED AWAY in the early morning, just 2 days after I returned home.. I was so close and this company ruined everything.

This company only cares bout making enough promises that you given them your money, and while you are there, they do what they want and you can’t do anything about it. They couldn’t care less fulfilling request and giving their clients the experience they requested.

If you value the money you work so hard to earn and use to go on a safari in Kenya.. DO NOT HIRE THIS COMPANY.. they will take your money, make you promises and give you in return nothing but headache and bad memories. Oh.. and I never got the beanbag either. At this point the bean bag is trivial , I only bring it up so show even the smallest requests get ignored. You would think at least the bigger request we get honored and they weren’t.
If this experience sets the precedent for how tour companies work in Kenya, I will be very hard-pressed to ever return because how could I ever trust another company’s word if this is how they work in Kenya.

Highly Recommend!!
5/5

We spoke with several agencies and ended up with TWE. David is the best driver and guide you could EVER ask for. The guide truly makes all the difference and is a real game-changer for the entire safari experience.
We would definitely recommend TWE to friends and to anyone planning a safari!

Slightly above average operator but disappointingly poor tour guide
4/5

We booked a 7 days safari trip in Kenya, taking in 4 different parks including Amboseli, Nakuru, Naivasha, and Masai Mara. The communication from Susan was decent enough, and all out questions were answered. I did have some concerns as we got a week away from the start of the trip, as the website was down and i couldnt get any response from susan for a few days. However using the WhatsApp number helped and i got the reassurance all was fine. The safari itself was enjoyable in that we saw lots of animals and the big 5.

The weather was hot and it was sunny most days making it a lovely break from the british weather.

Accommodation was budget but fine overall, but my daughter did get fed up of the similar and repetitive food options at each of the different camps. So generally I was happy with our budget choice.

However, I can't hide my complete disappointment with the driver/guide that we had, called David.
I expected and hoped that we would have a guide that was engaging and Informative, to really make the trip memorable for me and my 12 Yr old daughter.

Sadly, it became clear very early that the guide was not really interested in us, or making the trip special. David hardly engaged us at all the whole week. He shared little knowledge of the animals, and what he did share was quite basic. Beyond naming animals, there wasn't much more shared than that for most of the time.

At the end of each day he'd tell us what time we were to meet next day after breakfast, and with a polite hello in the morning, that was pretty much it in terms of conversation.

This lack of communication led to a potential issue when we arrived at Masai Mara gate where he informed us we'd need to produce our passports. Why did he not tell us that morning before we left our camp? Or the night before? Thankfully I had photos of the passports which took me a while to find, but at least we didn't have to go drive back 25 min to camp and get them. This unnecessary stress and anxiety could have easily been avoided, but just epitomised the guides lack of interest, overall apathy, and generally jaded demeanour.

In general, to be absolutely honest, he appeared bored, wasn't very attentive, spent most of the time speaking on his phone while driving, or checking Facebook/other media whenever we stopped, and generally hardly said a word to us. As the only proper English speaking people there I thought he might have taken more interest in engaging us and sharing some knowledge. Not only that, his lack if attentiveness was realised several times, when we'd pull up behind other jeeps who were in a better viewing position of animals, and when they moved on, I'd have to disturb him from his scrolling in his phone ask him to move forward ro where the other jeeps had been so we could get the views they had.

It's a real shame, as I spoke to other people at the camps and their experience with their guides with other companies seemed far better - more communication, more conversation, more knowledge sharing, more engagement.

I feel a bit gutted for my daughter that David did very little to make this trip of a lifetime feel like a trip of a lifetime, but could have so easily been remedied with a few interesting anecdotes, facts, and general conversation. If David is the guide in future safaris, I'll use a different company.

Attentive and organized.
4/5

A huge thank you to Susan from the travel agency for organizing such a smooth and unforgettable trip to Africa! Everything was perfectly planned from the accommodations to the safari routes making it a truly stress-free experience for us.

A special thanks to our amazing guide, David, who made this adventure extra special. His knowledge, patience, and passion for wildlife brought every moment to life. We were lucky enough to witness the Great Migration, spot the Big 5, and see countless other animals up close. David even took us all the way to the Tanzania border, sharing fascinating facts about the regions along the way.

One of the most memorable experiences was when he showed us how to boil eggs in a natural hot spring, such a fun and unique moment we’ll never forget! Every day with David felt like an adventure filled with wonder and learning.

For anyone visiting, make sure to visit Hells gate as well.

Thank you again to Susan and David for making our dream safari come true. We’re already planning our next visit in 2027!

Excellent
5/5

David was a genius of the Mara. We saw almost everything. Thank you Susan for the planning and timely replies.

Other Safaris & Tours8  – Offered by Tropical Wild Expeditions

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